The Runaways
by greypolkadots
Summary: With nothing left for them in Seattle, Alex and Arizona run away to Africa.  What happens when they return to Seattle after being gone for years.  A/U after 7x18.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've always loved Alex and Arizona together. I know that Arizona is gay and never been interested in men, you don't need to flame me in reviews about that fact - but isn't that what A/U fanfiction is for? This first chapter is just a taste to gauge interest. Future updates will be much longer than this one.

This is A/U. It picks up after 7x18.

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**...**

It was a foggy July morning when the small private plane made its final approach toward a rain soaked runway at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington. Inside the plane, a thirty something blonde sat in her seat staring out the window. Dr. Arizona Robbins hadn't been to Seattle in nearly four years. She did everything in her power to avoid the Emerald City and was successful at it. Most of the time it was easy to avoid Seattle as she spent three of the last four years living and working in Mzuzu, Malawi. However, after almost four years of avoidance, fate was bringing her back.

Arizona tore her eyes away from the window and looked around at the plane's four other occupants. She watched as two identical African toddler boys slept next to each other with their heads resting on each other, mouths open and slight snores coming out of them. She turned to look toward her seatmate whose head was bobbing forward as he was fading in and out of consciousness while he kept one hand rested on the tiny head that was sleeping next to his chest in the Baby Bjorn. As she gazed over her fellow passengers she thought back to the last time she was in Seattle. When she left four years ago she was broken, depressed and alone. The last four years of her life were unexpected to say the least. Four years ago Arizona was living and working in Seattle. She had a fiancée and a newborn daughter. She had a future and she was obscenely happy. Then one day, her fiancée decided that she no longer wanted to be with her. In one day Arizona lost everything – she lost her lover and her daughter. Not being able to stand to live and work in the same space as her ex-lover Arizona ran away. She couldn't work in the same hospital as Calliope Torres anymore. She couldn't watch the child she considered her own grow up without helping to raise her. So Arizona ran back to Malawi where she knew she could make a difference. She knew she could throw herself into her work and help save the lives of countless children. She knew she couldn't get rid of the pain in her heart but she could numb it.

But she didn't run away alone. Two weeks after her return to the clinic in Mzuzu a familiar face knocked on her office door. Her protégé, Alex Karev, also needed to run away from his life in Seattle. After turning in Meredith Grey for altering the Alzheimer's trial he became an outcast and shunned within the hospital. He lost his friends and his home. He needed a new start.

Together, in Africa, they weren't so alone anymore.

**...**

It was hard for Arizona not to think about the past as the plane was touching down in Seattle. Her heart was torn. It was true that she did have a lot of happy memories from her time in Seattle but they were overshadowed by the utter devastation that occurred when Callie Torres broke her heart. But also, if things hadn't of happened the way they did she wouldn't have her current life. And her current life made her very happy. She was returning to Seattle a completely different woman. Everyone changes over the course of time. It's human nature to be constantly evolving. Over three years of treating children in one of the least developed countries in the world, was more than just evolving with time. It was deep down to the soul changing.

Arizona felt a hand slip into hers as they waited for the plane to complete its decent. She absentmindedly played with the familiar silver metal band that was in her grasp.

"We're going to be okay, Zo," Alex stated as he brushed a lock of hair out of Arizona's eyes.

Arizona turned to face the man next to her. She nervously bit her lower lip and nodded. "I know. It's just hard, you know?"

"I know. Remember, no one has to know anything we don't want them to know. We're here for Abe, not to talk about our personal lives." Alex gripped her hand tighter as Arizona moved to rest her head on his shoulder.

Arizona slipped into her memories as she held her husband's hand while the plane was landing in Seattle.

_Alex was standing in their cramped one bedroom apartment watching Arizona flutter about trying to find the perfect jewelry for the occasion. The Carter Madison Grant Committee could only afford one apartment for their sponsored doctors. When Alex arrived, he was eagerly welcomed into the fold but was also told he'd have to find his own accommodations. Arizona quickly decided that he would move in with her. _

"_We don't have to do this, Arizona. We can find another way." Alex reasoned with the blonde as she looked incredibly nervous at what the two were about to do._

_Arizona picked out the perfect earrings from her jewelry box as she stared into the mirror. Nice clothes were not on the priority list in Malawi but today she made sure that she and Alex were not only dressed in their finest clothes but also with a touch of African inspiration. Alex was in a pair of semi-clean khaki shorts and an African tunic while Arizona found the perfect sundress from a neighbor's shop that she accented with local jewelry and her grandmother's diamond earrings. _

_Arizona shook her head as she gently inserted the earrings through their respective holes in her head. "The officials made it very clear that Malawi does not allow unwed couples to adopt and I am not letting Abraham and Elijah go to an orphanage and I know you won't either. We've spent the last six months fighting against everything to get them to live, there is no way I'm losing them now. They would get an infection within a week and be dead in two weeks. We're the only option they have." Arizona paused as she picked up her necklace. "Wait, is this because you're having second thoughts? Are you sure you want to do this? I can find someone else if you aren't okay with it."_

_Alex moved to stand behind Arizona. He took the necklace from her hands and gently moved to put it on her and clasped it behind her neck. "No, you're not finding another husband. You're stuck with me. I love those boys just as much as you do. I love you too. You're my best friend. There's no one else I'd want to enter with into a fake marriage. We'll have no problem making everyone believe in our love and our marriage and when we get back to the U.S. we'll have the perfect divorce."_

_Arizona smiled as she turned to face Alex. She placed her hand on his chest as she spoke. "I never thought I'd marry a man. But, I'm happy to be marrying you. You're the only man I'd ever want to marry. Now let's go get hitched so we can officially adopt the boys. After three months of fighting the officials about our residency status, I don't want to waste any more time."_

_Alex held the door open for his future wife, "After you, my lady."_

Arizona felt the plane jolt forward as it made contact with the ground. She squeezed Alex's hand tighter as she thought about what they would face now that they were actually in Seattle. This wasn't a social visit for the two pediatric surgeons. Sure, they'd be seeing old friends and colleagues, but they were in Seattle for their medical help. They needed them to help save the life of the little boy who was lying fast asleep across the aisle with his blankie held tight in his arm.

**...**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the great response. I honestly didn't expect all the love for an Alex/Arizona pairing. Yes, it will be a romantic pairing... eventually. This chapter isn't very exciting but it helps move along the story. I'm trying to find the right pacing for the story. I don't want to rush things but the slowness also yields a somewhat slow chapter such as this. Future updates won't be as quick as I got this one out but I hope to get 2 out a week until this story is finished.

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

As the plane came to a final halt, Arizona and Alex stood up to stretch their fatigued and sore bodies. It had been a long three days of travel involving over eight different plane changes but it was the quickest way to get all of them to Seattle on such short notice. Three days of travel, three continents and five different countries along with having three young travel companions made for two exhausted adults.

Arizona gently woke up the toddlers while Alex grabbed their carryon baggage. It never ceased to amaze him exactly how much luggage children required. He assumed that because they are small they shouldn't require that much luggage – their clothes are tiny. He was quickly introduced to the world of car seats, toys, teething aids, travel cribs and travel strollers. Long gone were the days of packing in a backpack, hopping in the car and rolling out of town for the weekend. Now trips consisted of lots of planning and restroom stops every hour. Alex wouldn't have it any other way.

The light drizzle that greeted them upon walking out of the airplane was overshadowed by the warmth of the two women who were leaning against an SUV near the hangar. One woman was tall, thin with long dirty blonde hair. The woman standing next to her was shorter and younger with bright blonde hair in a messy ponytail. They stood in silence as they waited with arms crossed. Their minds seemed to be elsewhere as they waited patiently for the plane. It was over a half hour late due to high winds. Both women considered the people on the plane to be family though only one was related to them. Both women would be necessary to help fix Abraham's heart.

Smiles adorned the two women's faces as they watched the airplane hatch door open. As soon as Arizona guided the two identical thirty-four-month-old boys out of the plane and down the stairs the two women pushed themselves off the SUV and toward the toddlers. Each woman scooped up one of the boys and proceeded to lavish their faces with kisses. After a minute the women pulled back and acknowledged the two adults who were waiting in front of them. Just as quickly as they saw the other adults, the attention of the two women was again turned away and onto the small baby in Alex's arms.

"Good to see you two too." Alex smiled as he watched the scene before him. He loved that everyone had been so accepting of their family. When they first broke the news of their marriage to their closest family members the reaction of most of their family members was that they were crazy and/or stupid but that they would always love them and needed to meet the new family members as soon as possible.

Teddy and Emily ignored Alex's comments and continued to make funny faces at the children. Eventually Alex made another attempt at getting their attention by clearing his throat loudly.

The shorter blonde woman spoke up but didn't take her eyes off the baby girl in front of her, "Why don't you make yourself useful and put the luggage in the car, big bro. And hand me my niece…please. I haven't seen her since she was a month old because you two decided to go back to Africa for a month. Who takes a newborn to Africa?"

"You know that every July we go back for a month to check in on the clinic," Alex retorted as he did as he was told and handed the baby over to her aunt. He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he called over his shoulder as he headed to grab the bags and put them in the car. "Don't make me remind you that I am your superior, Emily Robbins." Alex loved to get his sister-in-law riled up. It was so easy and made for at least five minutes of entertainment.

Emily rolled her eyes at the surly looking man, "Don't make me remind _you_ that I got married last year so you know that I am Emily Hooper now. You were in the wedding for heavens' sake. Two Robbins in one hospital is too much for the nurses to deal with. And another thing, you know that I finished my fellowship while you guys were back in Malawi so I'm now an attending just like you big brother." Emily again rolled her eyes as Alex stood back and listened to the youngest Robbins sibling ramble. Alex learned quickly after meeting Arizona's family that rambling must be an inherited trait. As she finished her ramble Emily turned to her sister who had her hands full of a hyperactive toddler, "Tell me again why you brought him into our lives?" She didn't wait for an answer before turning back to the baby in her arms, "Your daddy is crazy, Della. Lucky for you, you have me around."

Arizona ignored her little sister's comment and instead started to move the group toward the car. Babies were passed about the three women as everyone wanted time with each of the youngsters. Alex worked quickly to install all three car seats so that they could get to the hospital without wasting any more time. Arizona and Teddy stood off to the side talking while Emily entertained the boys.

"So everything is set up?" Arizona asked the cardio surgeon as she watched her friend bounce the little girl in her arms.

Teddy placed a light kiss on the girl's temple before turning to her best friend, "I spoke with the Chief this morning. I've already done all the admitting paperwork myself. You and Alex just need to sign it. We'll get started with some basic tests this afternoon once we get Abe settled in."

"And…" Arizona leaded Teddy, who was leaving out the one topic that she needed answers on.

"And we're going to leave Abe's last name off of everything so no one will know who he is until you guys are ready to share that information." Teddy chuckled into the baby's peach fuzz hair, "He'll be the Seattle Grace version of Cher or we could even make him like Prince and just give him a symbol."

Arizona nodded firmly, "Good. Good. It's not that we're hiding who Abraham is we just don't want the focus to be on us. We are here to fix him not to talk about our personal lives."

"You do remember what this hospital is like, right? All we do is talk about personal lives," Teddy snorted.

Alex finally finished installing the car seats and interrupted the two friends, "So we're ready to go. We're going to drop Elijah and Della off at the hotel where the grandparents are ready to spoil them rotten and then we'll be off to Seattle Grace."

The four adults and three children piled into the SUV and headed into the city. Alex and Arizona sat in the back seat between their children. As they headed into the city to face their pasts they looked over the faces of their children and wondered what the next few days and weeks would bring to them.

**…**

Alex carried a very tired Abraham in his arms as he, Arizona, Teddy and Emily walked through the doors and into Seattle Grace Mercy West. The hospital was exactly like Arizona and Alex left it. The only thing that seemed to change was the paint on the walls. Even though Alex and Arizona had been living and working at Boston Children's Hospital for over six months being in a large hospital was still weird for them after years of working in a makeshift clinic in Africa.

Thanks to Teddy already starting the admitting process they were able to bypass having to sit in reception and fill out paperwork and go straight to the pediatric floor to get Abraham settled in his room. The more incognito they could be the better.

From the moment they entered the hospital Arizona felt like everyone was watching her. She knew she was just being paranoid. Not _everyone_ was watching her. Seventy-five percent of the people working in the hospital probably didn't even know who she was and all of the patients really didn't know who she was. She shook her head as she walked next to Alex on their way to the elevator that would take them up to pediatrics. As they walked past a hallway Arizona saw her. _Her_ her. Arizona's eyes found the tall, beautiful, Latina woman who once held her heart. She saw Callie Torres laughing and talking with Cristina Yang. Arizona froze up as soon as she saw her. She stopped walking while her party continued to the elevator without her. She wasn't sure what she felt upon seeing the woman she used to love so much. She was overwhelmed. She didn't know what emotion she was even supposed to feel when she saw Callie again. Her emotions ranged from angry to happy to sad. She even felt love toward Callie. She knew that she was no longer _in _love with the Latina but she would always carry a small piece of her in her heart. Arizona was worried that when she saw Callie again, all of the old feelings would come back. She was thrilled when none of the passionate feelings came back.

Callie too seemed to freeze upon the sight of her former lover. They couldn't help but stare at each other for what seemed like minutes but in reality was only a few seconds. It had been four years since they saw each other. The last time they were in the same room Callie was yelling at Arizona to leave her alone. She was telling her that she didn't want to see her ever again. Before Arizona left to return to Malawi, she promised Callie that she'd never have to see her again. Arizona hated breaking promises. A promise to Arizona was the strongest bond she could offer someone. She truly believed that she would always keep that promise. Nearly four years later she had broken it.

Alex had made it to the elevator and was about to push the up arrow when he realized Arizona was no longer beside him. He looked back to where they came from and saw Arizona standing in one spot staring down the hallway. He instinctively knew what had stopped her in her tracks. He quickly doubled back to support her.

He came up behind her and lightly put his hand upon her back. "Arizona, come on."

Arizona broke eye contact with Callie and nodded at Alex who was also staring at the pair down the hallway. She lifted her hand to her waist and gave a small wave to Callie and Cristina before turning to follow Alex toward the elevators but not without one look over her shoulder at the Latina who was still staring at her.

As she watched Alex and Arizona head toward the elevator Callie turned to her friend, "Did you know they were going to be here today?"

"No way. None of us have talked to Alex since he turned Mer in for the Alzheimer's trial. If I knew I would have made sure Meredith was here to beat the punk up for what he did. You don't rat out your best friend." Cristina replied as she too stared at the pair who was waiting for the elevator. "What do you think they doing with Teddy and who is the other chick with them?"

Callie glanced up to the foursome waiting. "No idea. Today just got very weird. I was having such a good day too," Callie sighed as she placed her chart on the nurses' station.

Cristina put down her own chart and looked toward Callie, "So Cal, how's it feel to see the love of your life again? The love of your life that you personally ripped her pretty little heart out and stomped on it for no good reason?"

Callie rolled her eyes and started to stalk off, "Shut up Cristina."

Cristina smiled to herself and pulled out her cell phone to spread the gossip, "Karev and Robbins are back and with a mystery woman."

**…**

A few hours after arriving at the hospital, Abe had been settled into his new room. He was happily playing with his Aunts and his favorite toy truck. It was lunch time in Seattle but because of their travel schedule and time changes the only one hungry was Alex. For a half hour Alex tried to convince himself that he wasn't hungry. That he could wait to eat until Arizona's parents returned with the kids and non hospital food. When his stomach let out a huge growl he realized he needed to face the music. He knew that he would likely run into his former friends in the cafeteria. He was nervous about what his reception would be. The last time he saw Meredith and Cristina they were yelling at him about his misplaced loyalties. He wondered if four years had been enough time for them to forgive him. He had heard that Meredith was able to keep her job and license so he thought she might be more willing to forgive as they were all now attending surgeons in their specialties. No harm had been done from him turning her in. After having Arizona tell him to put his 'big boy pants' on he headed down to the cafeteria.

Alex kept his head hung low and his hands stuffed in his jean pockets as he entered the cafeteria. He made a beeline for the food. He was so used to a bland African diet of beans, rice and corn that the choices of the cafeteria overwhelmed him. He stuck with a simple sandwich as he didn't want to overwhelm his stomach with processed foods. As he paid for his purchases he looked up to scan the cafeteria for the first time since he entered it. His eyes immediately settled on a table full of dark blue scrubs. A table full of his former friends and bosses. His eyes scanned the table he made eye contact with Meredith. He quickly looked away and moved toward an empty table at the back of the room but to get to that table he would have to walk right past his friends. Again, he kept his head hung low so that he would not have to make eye contact with any of them. As he walked past the table, he felt an arm reach out and stop him in his tracks.

"You can sit here," Meredith said as Alex lowered his eyes to look at the offending hand on his arm.

Cristina looked between Meredith and Alex, "Yeah, Evil Spawn, sit with us. You do remember us, right? The people you started your medical career with. The people you lived with for years and then just disappeared on?"

Alex placed his tray down on the table and looked up to see Callie, April, Lexie, Meredith and Cristina's eyes on him. "Hey," he mumbled quietly as he took his seat.

"What brings our two favorite babysitters back to Seattle?" Cristina wasted no time trying to get to the bottom of their mystery appearance.

"Um…" Alex stumbled. He and Arizona agreed to keep personal details out of why they were here but he didn't feel right not claiming his own son. He decided that they probably wouldn't put it together anyway; they would just assume their kid was a patient and not really _their_ kid. "We have a kid with a congenital heart defect that needs surgery and probably a whole new heart."

Cristina interrupted, "Wait. You have a patient that needs heart surgery and a possible transplant and I'm not in on it?"

Alex sighed in relief. Cristina did just as he expected, assumed the possessive 'we have a kid' terminology went only so far as a patient. "It's Teddy's case. She's already done like three surgeries on him. She knows his case. The kid loves her. The family trusts her. Plus, you don't like the tiny humans anyway."

"But I like hearts. Even tiny hearts. And especially hearts that need to be fixed."

Alex didn't want to argue with Cristina so he decided it would be easiest to fill his mouth with food so that he couldn't speak. He moved his hands from his lap to pick up the sandwich on his tray. He had just started to take a bite when he felt a hand reach out and pull his left hand away from the sandwich.

"Is that a wedding ring?" Lexie asked from her seat next to Alex.

Again, Alex didn't know what to say but he wasn't going to outright lie. He responded simply, "Yeah," and moved to take his hand back so that he could continue to eat.

The whole table was staring at him again. They wanted an explanation but Alex wasn't going to give them one without being prompted.

"So you moved to Africa and got married?" Meredith asked with a quizzical look on her face.

Alex nodded.

"How long?"

Alex finished chewing his sandwich before replying, "Two years now." Once he answered them he went back to eating hoping they'd change the subject. They were going to have to work for any information they wanted from him.

"That's all you're going to say, Alex? You disappear for four years without any forwarding information. I mean you even deleted your facebook, who does that? Then you just show back up here one day, four years later, with a sick African kid and now you're married too?" Meredith demanded.

"What do you want to know?"

The table began to shout out questions at Alex.

"Is she hot?"

"What's her name?"

"Is she African?"

"Is she a doctor?"

"How'd you meet?"

"Is she here with you?"

Alex cleared his throat to garner the table's attention. "She's amazing, wonderful, very beautiful and makes me very happy. That's all you're going to get from me."

Alex looked around at all the women he was sitting with and took in their disgruntled looks. Clearly, they wanted more information from him. He was saved when he saw a blonde head of hair headed right toward him.

Arizona had entered the cafeteria on a mission. She needed to give Alex a message and then get out. She wasn't looking to be social. She had hoped to see him sitting off in a corner by himself. No such luck. She surveyed the room before spotting him. He was sitting with all of their old friends including a few of their exes. She had a mission and had to complete it so she took a deep breath and held her head high as she walked toward Alex.

Instead of addressing the group she only looked toward Alex as she approached.

"Is everything okay?" Alex questioned her for being in the cafeteria and away from Abraham.

Arizona nodded as she stood next to him, "Abraham just woke up and wanted me to give you a message. He wants you to come watch Sesame Street with him. And he wants pudding."

"You better get back to your babysitting, Evil Spawn," Cristina snarked as she put a french fry in her mouth. "You, Blondie, you stay. If Alex won't tell us about his wife, maybe you will."

Arizona rolled her eyes as Alex got up from his chair. "Stay here, I'll go grab the pudding really quickly then we'll go back upstairs together." He leaned closer to whisper to in her ear, "I haven't told them anything about you." In a louder voice he asked her, "You want anything? I'm going to grab a coffee."

He held out his chair for Arizona and motioned for her to sit down in his place. Arizona smiled at him as she sat, "The usual, please."

Cristina turned toward Arizona, "So Robbins, tells us all about this mystery wife of Alex's. You know her, right?"

Arizona chuckled, "Yeah, I know her. We're very close friends."

"Then, spill."

Arizona addressed the crowd at the table. "She's great. She's caring, nice, and down to earth. A fantastic doctor. And she loves Alex. I think those are the most important things to know about her."

Even April was getting fed up with the generalities that were being dished out by the two pediatric surgeons. "We want the juicy stuff, Dr. Robbins."

"You'll have to ask Alex about that, April. It's not my place to talk about his personal life," Arizona said as she ran her hands up and through her hair.

For the second time that day, Lexie spied a glint of silver metal on a hand. "You got married too?" She blurted out causing the whole table to inspect Arizona's left hand closer. Callie couldn't help but look shocked and a little hurt as she took in the silver, diamond encrusted band on Arizona's left ring finger.

"I did," Arizona said matter of factly. Arizona caught Callie's eye in her peripheral vision. The Latina didn't show any reaction to the news of her marriage.

April slumped down in her seat, "Maybe I need to go to Africa. I can't find anyone here and it seems to have worked out well for you and Alex."

Arizona laughed and shook her head, "Well, we can always use great surgeons at the clinic, April, but I make no promises about husbands."

"So, are you going to tell us about the girl who got you, Blondie? Or are you going to be like Alex?" Cristina questioned.

Arizona contemplated the question for a moment and chose her words carefully. "My partner is awesome. And they make me happy. That's all that matters so that's all you're getting."

Alex walked up to the table at the tail end of Arizona's answers and gently placed a cup of hot liquid in front of her. "Who makes you happy?" he questioned.

"Arizona's wife," April stated.

Alex smirked and looked down at Arizona curiously, "Your wife?"

Arizona nodded and smiled, "I was just telling them how awesome my partner is. They've moved on from grilling me about your wife to mine." Arizona made sure to stress the word partner. She didn't want Alex thinking that she was lying about their relationship. She was just being intentionally vague.

Alex chuckled, "Awesome might not be the word I'd use but that is close."

Arizona looked up from her seat, "You ready?"

"Yep. I've got the pudding and I might even have an extra one if someone is on their best behavior," Alex teased Arizona as he nudged her chair.

Cristina rolled her eyes and muttered, "Babysitters."

Arizona moved to stand up and directed her statement toward Cristina, "Time for the babysitters to get back to work."

The table mumbled their goodbyes as the pair headed out of the cafeteria and back to their son's room.

**…**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Again, thanks for the fabulous responses. Just a warning - this chapter doesn't have a lot of Alex/Arizona together in it. It does give some necessary flashbacks about the Callie/Arizona relationship. I tried hard not to make Callie to be too much of a bad guy. I am actually a Calzona fan but I can't stand the way they've written her since she got pregnant. Hang in there with me because next chapter will have Alex/Arizona flashbacks and we will start to see how they came to be. Thanks and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

When she had a spare moment later in the day Cristina went on a search for her boss and department head, Teddy Altman. Being the scalpel hungry monster that she was, Cristina wanted in on the tiny human heart case that Alex and Arizona had brought to the hospital but to do that she'd have to find Teddy. Her first stop was Teddy's office. Empty. Then she went to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. No luck. Cristina took a guess and wandered up to the pediatric floor, thinking that Teddy might be checking in on her new patient. She walked around trying to figure out just which room had the tiny heart patient in it. She was at one end of a long hallway when she spotted Arizona in a tight embrace with the mystery blonde woman from earlier in the day. Cristina watched from afar as Arizona was comforted by the woman. She even thought she noticed Arizona wipe away a few tears from her eyes. When she saw them break apart she noticed that Arizona had spotted her watching them afar. Not caring that she was caught spying Cristina decided to march up to Arizona and ask her herself.

Cristina did decide that she would have a better chance at getting in on the case if she was respectful to the older surgeon. Cristina strode up to Arizona and the mystery woman who were standing there waiting for her to speak. "Dr. Robbins, I've heard that you brought in a pediatric cardio case. I was hoping I could assist on the case."

Arizona looked the younger woman up and down, "I think we have enough doctors on the case already Dr. Yang."

Cristina wasn't used to being told no and immediately went on the defensive. "You know that I'm great at what I do, Arizona. Don't you want the best? Because I am the –"

Arizona interrupted the Asian woman, "Cristina, Teddy knows this case. She's been his cardiac surgeon since he was born. She flew to Malawi three times to perform open heart surgery on him already."

"I can still help assist!" Cristina insisted.

Arizona motioned to the woman standing next to her, "Cristina, this is Dr. Emily Hooper, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon from Boston Children's Hospital. She will be assisting Dr. Altman."

Cristina slumped her shoulders in defeat and begrudgingly shook the other doctor's hand as Arizona introduced her.

"Yang, if we need your help we'll definitely ask. I don't doubt your skills, it's just we already have two excellent cardiothoracic surgeons that are very knowledgeable about Abraham's condition. Plus, I think Dr. Altman is expecting you to step up and help take care of her patients while she's taking care of this one."

Cristina conceded defeat, "Just keep me in mind."

**…**

Cristina sighed as she flopped down on the couch in the lounge. It was late afternoon and the day had been somewhat slower than usual for the hospital. Outside of the return of Alex and Arizona it had been a very dull day. Cristina found her two closest friends, Callie and Meredith, catching up on charting in the lounge.

"I need to drink tonight," Cristina announced to the room after entering. "Can you two escape the brats for a couple of hours at Joe's?"

Meredith looked up from her chart, "What's got you running to the tequila today? Another run in with the ex-husband?"

"More like a run-in with Callie's ex."

Callie looked up at the mention of her name, "What?"

"Your ex. Arizona. She won't let me in on the kiddie heart surgery patient she brought in from Africa. She claims there's no room for me in the OR. She's picking her little girlfriend, _excuse me_, wife over me. Her wife who looks like she's barely twenty years old. She's clearly thinking with her libido and not what is best for the kid."

"And how do you know all of this, Cristina?" Callie asked looking puzzled and feeling slightly uncomfortable talking about her ex-girlfriend.

"I went looking for Teddy to see if she could get me onto the case. I couldn't find her so I headed up to the peds floor and ran into Arizona and the chick. They were all over each other in the hallway."

Meredith rolled her eyes at her best friend, "Are you sure you're not exaggerating? Robbins never seemed to be into the PDA when she was with Callie."

Callie interjected as she looked from Meredith to Cristina, "She's right. Arizona had strict rules about touching in public. Holding hands and short pecks were about her limit. No matter how hard I tried to push her further than that she wouldn't budge."

"Fine. They were only hugging. But it wasn't a friendly hug. She saw me staring at them so I had to go talk to her which is when she informed me that the slutty girl was some great pediatric heart surgeon from Boston so between her and Teddy they had it all covered. So I need to drink because _your_ ex doesn't realize how great I am. It's like she forgot that I saved your life, Callie." Cristina pointed her thumbs at herself, "Me, not Teddy."

Meredith's pager buzzed and she got up to leave the room, "If you move the location from Joe's to my house then I can do it."

Cristina turned to look to Callie for her response. "Sorry, Cristina, I'm here until late tonight. But I'm sure Meredith will take good care of you."

Once Meredith left the room Callie moved to sit next to Cristina on the couch. "So you really think that woman is the one Arizona married?"

"If they're not married, then her wife should be worried about how close the two are."

Callie sighed and rested her head on the back of the couch as Cristina glanced over her friend.

"You're not jealous are you?" Cristina asked as she stared into Callie's shifting eyes.

Callie rolled her eyes, "Of course not. It's been four years. I broke up with her. She has every right to have moved on. It's not like I haven't moved on. I've had plenty of girlfriends _and_ boyfriends since she left."

"You've had one girlfriend and one boyfriend besides the current flavor in your life. That is hardly plenty." Cristina continued to watch her friend squirm under her watchful eye. "Me thinks the lady doth protest too much. You are so jealous."

"Not jealous," Callie repeated. "This is just so unexpected. I never thought I'd see her ever again."

Cristina moved to head out of the lounge, "Right. Let me know whenever you want to drink away your jealousy."

Callie watched her friend leave the room before sighing deeply and sinking further into the couch. The last thing she expected today was encountering the one that got away. The one that she let get away. Scratch that. The one she _forced_ away. Callie got lost in her memories as she lay down to rest in the lounge. She couldn't help the onslaught of images that flooded her brain.

"_Why are you doing this, Callie?" Arizona cried as she sat at the Latina's hospital bedside. "Why? Where is this coming from?"_

_Callie couldn't look the blonde in the eyes. "I just can't right now, Arizona. My daughter is in the NICU. She's undergoing her third surgery and she is only two weeks old."_

_Callie's words punched Arizona in the gut. "Your daughter? I thought she was our daughter."_

"_I just need some space right now. I'm an emotional wreck."_

"_So break up with your fiancée because you are an emotional wreck? I'm supposed to be helping you get through this. Helping us get through this. Together. We need each other right now. Together not apart."_

"_Please just go," Callie pleaded to the blonde as she turned as best she could to turn away from Arizona._

_With tears streaming down her face, Arizona sighed and turned around. "I'll be back, Calliope. I'm not giving up on us and our daughter."_

As Callie fell deeper into sleep in the lounge the images kept assaulting her mind.

"_What are you doing back here?" Callie hissed at Arizona as she entered the hospital room with a bag of food._

_Arizona moved to place the food on the table next to Callie. "Where else would I be? I told you I was going to fight for us. I gave you a day and now I'm back. I'm not letting you go so easily."_

"_Arizona, please go."_

_Arizona noticed the machines in the room started beeping faster indicating an increased heart rate and higher blood pressure. Callie's heart couldn't take much added stress. Arizona left the room quietly only because she was looking out for Callie's health. She still wasn't giving up. _

Callie dozed in and out of sleep and in and out of her memories. She thought back to the last time she saw Arizona.

_It had been almost three weeks since Callie told Arizona that she wanted to break up. It had been a week and a half since she last saw the blonde. She assumed that Arizona had finally gotten the message that their relationship was over. It had been a week since Mark told Callie that Arizona had resigned and was returning to Africa. It was past midnight when Callie heard the door to her room open quietly. Callie could smell Arizona's perfume. Callie didn't want to deal with Arizona that night and she assumed that Arizona didn't expect Callie to be awake for this visit either so Callie feigned sleep. She felt Arizona walk closer to the bed, sit down next to her and gently grasp her hand._

"_Oh Calliope," Arizona sighed as she raked her eyes over the beautiful Latina in the hospital bed. Arizona had heard that Callie was going to be released soon and wanted to make sure she was out of the country before that happened. "I don't know where we went wrong, Calliope. I loved you… I love you so much. I think I'll always love you. I've never loved someone as much as I love you. And Sofia, she is just amazing. I love her like she is my own child. She is my child. Why did you do this to us, baby?"_

_Arizona shifted in the chair as she leaned over and placed her head on the bed next to Callie's hand. Callie could feel wet tears hitting her fingers. She knew Arizona was crying. _

"_I'm leaving tomorrow morning. I'm giving you what you want. I'd never intentionally hurt you or Sofia. I hope you know that." Arizona paused for a few minutes. Callie thought the blonde was done and was going to leave but then Arizona started talking again. "I heard you the other day. When you were talking to Mark. I don't want to hurt you anymore so I'm going back to Malawi."_

_Callie had to fight not to gasp audibly at Arizona's words. Things were starting to make sense to Callie. She had been confused at why Arizona was running back to Africa but knowing that she heard the conversation with Mark made perfect sense. Callie had said some very harsh things to Mark about Arizona. Things that she could never take back. _

"_I promise you Calliope, you'll never have to see me ever again. I'll make sure of it. Please take care of yourself and Sofia. I want both of you to be happy. I wish I could be the one to make you happy but you've made it clear that I can't be that person. I hope you find someone to make you both happy… even if it is Mark but I really hope it isn't him. I'll miss you both. I know you didn't want me to see Sofia anymore but I couldn't stay away. Alex has been helping me spend time with her every night. Don't be mad at him if you find out, I forced him to help me. She's the most amazing little girl, Calliope. So beautiful… just like her mother. I know you will be an excellent mother to her. I just wish I could be here to see it happen."_

_Callie heard Arizona's sobs grow louder. Instinctively she wanted to reach out and soothe the woman but she knew that she had to stay strong. She couldn't cave now. She needed Arizona out of her life. She couldn't take her back just because she was crying._

_Callie felt Arizona pick her head up off of the bed. The next thing Callie felt was Arizona's soft lips on hers. Arizona whispered one last "I love you" before she squeezed Callie's hand and left the room._

Callie woke up in a sweat from her dream. It didn't feel like a dream. It felt like she was actually in the moment that occurred four years ago. She looked at the clock and realized she still had an hour before her next surgery and she was still tired. She rolled over and tried to sleep one more time. Her subconscious went back to the moment that drove Arizona away for good. The conversation she had with Mark that the blonde overheard.

"_I think she's finally gotten the hint. She hasn't been here in two days," Callie spoke from her hospital bed. She had just finished physical therapy for the day and had been returned to her room to rest._

_Mark was sitting in the chair next to her as they ate dinner. "She's been working constantly. She looks terrible. I don't think she's sleeping at all. Will you finally tell me why you broke up with her? You two seemed so solid."_

"_I would think you would be all for this Mark. She could have killed our daughter. She caused the accident. She wasn't paying attention to the road. Sofia is fighting to live because of Arizona."_

"_You can't place all the blame on Arizona, Cal. It was an accident. Simple as that. You're the one who wasn't wearing your seatbelt. You took it off. Arizona didn't reach over and hit that button. That is all on you. Plus, you agreed to marry her. You woke up and the first thing you said was that'd you'd marry her."_

"_I wasn't thinking straight, clearly," Callie bemoaned._

_Mark sighed, "I think you're still not thinking straight. I really think you need to talk to someone in psych. You've been through so much in the last three weeks. Talk to someone before you make any major life decisions."_

"_I have talked to psych Mark. One of their stooges comes down every day to talk to me. I can't stand to look at her. Every time I see her, I see Sofia in her isolette covered in wires and struggling to breathe. I will always associate her with the reason why Sofia is here far too soon. I hope she finally listened to me and stays away for good."_

_Mark didn't know how to help his friend. He didn't want to see her make a mistake but needed to be supportive of her choices. He just nodded and the two continued to eat their dinner as they changed the topic to their daughter's progress._

Callie didn't know how much time had passed when she woke up to her pager blaring next to her head. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her watch. She still had six more hours until she could go home. Six more hours of being in the same building as Arizona freaking Robbins.

**…**

A few floors down from Callie, Arizona was also not having a very good day. After an afternoon of tests with his two favorite aunts, Abraham Timothy Karev was cranky. He was used to clinics and hospitals but he still despised being poked and prodded. Abe and Eli were at the tail end of their terrible twos, so their parents were more than used to dealing with tantrums but the meltdown that Abe had when he was told that he had to stay in the hospital overnight and could not go play with his brother was of epic proportions. Alex and Arizona were at a loss of how to console him. They did the only thing they knew to do. They called Grandpa and Grandma Robbins, who had flown in from Boston to help take care of their grandchildren, for help. Thirty minutes after making the phone call Abe was happily playing in his Grandpa's lap with his twin brother as Grandma lavished baby Della with love and snuggles.

After dealing with a hellish afternoon, Arizona was in need of her own form of consolation. While soothing from her parents was always nice, the help Arizona needed was in the form of chocolate. Seeing that all of the children were preoccupied with their grandparents, Arizona knew she could slip away without causing another meltdown. Alex and Arizona decided there was comfort in numbers, so they made a deal to not venture outside of the hospital room alone if at all possible. They were less likely to be bombarded with questions if they were with each other or someone else.

After making sure that the kids were really fine with them leaving, Arizona and Alex left in search of the best vending machine at Seattle Grace Mercy West. Or at least they hoped it was still the best vending machine in the hospital. It was in the seldom used third floor lounge and was the only source of Reese's Pieces candy. As they made their way down, they ran into Emily who was leaving Teddy's office. She was one of the few people in the hospital that the Karevs did not mind bumping into. With the promise of chocolate, Emily joined the pair on their venture.

The three were laughing at Alex's story of one of their adventures Alex, Arizona and their family had during their most recent trip to Malawi when they walked into the lounge. It was the same lounge that Callie Torres had been sleeping in and was now using to catch up on her charting. Callie's head immediately popped up when the door opened and she heard Arizona's laughter enter the room. Arizona looked happy. Her eyes seemed happier than they did at lunch. She wondered if this had anything to do with the other woman in the room. Callie cursed under her breath. At lunch when they had to be in the same space they were surrounded by mutual friends but here in the lounge it was just the four of them. There was no escaping.

Alex was the first to break the ice. "Hey Torres," he said as he walked toward the coveted vending machine. "This still the best one in the place?"

Callie gulped and nodded, "Yeah. It's the only one with Reese's Pieces." Callie knew why they were looking for that machine. It was Arizona's favorite candy.

Arizona and Callie continued to stare at each other while Emily stood around awkwardly. Arizona was glad that Callie had never met her family and since she didn't display many family pictures, Callie had no idea who was the mystery person in the room. Emily coughed and turned to look at her sister. She wanted to force Arizona to make the introduction. Arizona growled quietly to her sister but then looked up with her best fake smile.

"Where are my manners? Callie, this is Emily Hooper. She's from Boston Children's. She's going to be working with Teddy on our case. Emily, this is Callie Torres. She's the head of orthopedic surgery here."

Emily knew exactly who Callie was but she pretended she didn't. She made her way toward the couch where Callie stood up to meet her halfway.

"You're a long way from home. Must be some case," Callie said as she shook the youngest Robbins' hand.

Emily could tell that the Latina seemed to be a little jealous of her. She noticed the way Callie looked her up and down when they entered the room as if she was checking her out and not in a sexual way. Emily decided to play into her thoughts. After all, this was the same woman that broke her sister's heart. Emily didn't forget the hours she spent on the phone trying to console her older sister.

"I can't say no to anything Arizona asks of me," Emily offered in her best flirty tone causing both Alex and Arizona to look at her curiously. They hadn't picked up on Callie's jealousy.

"How do you two know each other?" Callie asked, trying to get a little more information about the situation.

"I've known Arizona for as long as I can remember, haven't I?" Emily smiled as she turned to look at her sister who was still looking confused. For such a brilliant person, sometimes Arizona wasn't very observant.

Arizona nodded, "Yeah. Forever it seems like. Plus we work together. Or rather, I'm her boss...their boss." Arizona finished as she pointed to both Alex and Emily.

"So you're in Boston now then?"

"Yep."

Awkward silence filled the room until Alex was finally able to get his dollar bill accepted by the finicky machine.

"One bag of Reeses Pieces," Alex shouted as he threw the bag toward Arizona. "Em, what do you want?"

Emily walked over to inspect the machine with Alex leaving Callie and Arizona alone.

After a moment of staring at their hands Callie was the first to break the silence. "Boston Children's. That's great. It's the best. You totally deserve it."

Arizona flashed a smile, "Thanks. We've only been there about six months now but it's pretty great."

"Must be a big difference from Malawi?"

"Very. It was difficult to get used to all the technology again. I swear I looked like an idiot in front of all the interns for at least a month. Not a good impression for their new leader."

Callie chuckled at the image of Arizona fumbling with technology.

Alex and Emily had finished their selections from the machine and come to join them. Alex had gotten Arizona an extra treat from the machine – a roll of starburst. He knew after she got her chocolate fix she would start to crave something fruity. He walked up to Arizona from behind and put the candy in front of her face. Arizona yelped at the unexpected intrusion but then smiled.

"Thanks ba…Alex. You're the best." Arizona stumbled over her words. She almost called him by her most commonly used term of affection for him, babe. She hoped Callie didn't notice the slip up.

"We'll let you get back to your charts," Arizona said as she nodded to the stack on Callie's table. "See you around."

Callie nodded, "Yeah. Around."

Alex and Emily added their goodbyes and they headed back up to Abe's room where they were sure to be lectured by their parents about spoiling their dinner.

After dinner with their grandparents, the children were all exhausted from the travel and passed out. Daniel and Barbara Robbins took the opportunity to get Eli and Della out of the hospital room without a difficult goodbye.

Alex had made up the tiny parent cot on the floor next to the couch. Because of all the interruptions by nurses they'd have throughout the night, the pair decided it would be best if they didn't try to sleep together on the cot. Instead, Alex forced Arizona to take it while he set up camp on the couch. They fell asleep with their hands linked.

They had survived their first day back in Seattle.

**…**


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Finally we start to see how Alex/Arizona come together.

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

The next day the Karev family was slightly less cranky as they were the day before but they still weren't in their normal happy spirits. Abe was waiting for his Aunt Teddy who was going to take him to do more tests. Eli and Della were visiting for breakfast before going to spend the day with their grandparents when all they wanted was stay with their parents. Alex and Arizona were dealing with the stresses of a very sick child, spending time away from their other children as well as being back in the city that they both ran away from. Everyone was on edge.

After breakfast all hell seemed to break out in the hospital room. Della wouldn't stop crying after being fed. Her crying started a chain reaction in the room. It made her brothers want the television turned louder so that they could hear exactly what lesson Elmo was trying to teach them on Sesame Street. It also made her big brothers start yelling to each other as they played and watched the cartoons. The room filled with sounds of screaming children. If anyone walked by the room at the time, Arizona was sure they would think they were the worst parents in the world. It was a madhouse. Seeing the pained look on Arizona's face as she tried to calm down the baby, Alex decided that caffeine would be necessary for the adults to survive the day. To help relieve some of his wife's stresses Alex decided to take baby Della with him in hopes of being able to return to his wife with a happy baby as well a caffeinated beverage. He was about to leave the room and venture down to the coffee cart when the door swung open and in walked the most powerful person in the hospital.

Most people assumed that the chief of surgery was the most powerful person at Seattle Grace Mercy West. These people just hadn't met Dr. Miranda Bailey yet. Bailey commanded respect from everyone in the hospital, including the new chief of surgery who had been brought in from outside the hospital as an attempt to lessen hospital drama.

Bailey quickly surveyed the scene in front of her as she entered the room. She had heard rumors that Arizona and Alex had returned to Seattle but she had yet to see them for herself. She decided that before she started her rounds that day she would go in search of the two. She always considered Arizona a friend from the time Arizona tried to steal her from general surgery to pediatrics. And Alex, Alex was one of her babies. She raised him from an intern into a doctor and a damn good doctor at that.

When she entered the hospital room Bailey saw Alex freeze in his steps near the door. He held a small baby with a full set of lungs but barely any hair against his shoulder. She looked to the hospital bed and saw Arizona lying next to one black toddler who was curled into her side as he ran a toy truck over Arizona's legs. At the foot of the bed was an exact copy of the first toddler who couldn't decide who to look at more – the woman who had just entered the room or Arizona. Sitting in the corner of the room, reading the morning paper, was an older Caucasian couple who also stopped what they were doing to look at the intruder. After a morning that heard more crying and yelling than most, Bailey's entrance silenced the room. Even the baby stopped crying and stared at Bailey with her big blue eyes.

"Well, are you two just going to stare at me or are you going to give me a hug?" Bailey spoke in her sternest voice at the two surgeons in the room.

Alex choked back a laugh, "Hug? Dr. Bailey does hugs now? Things really have changed around here."

"I do for people who up and run away for four years then mysteriously reappear," Bailey stated as Alex wrapped his arm around the shorter woman, careful not to squish the baby. Arizona had hopped off the bed and waited her turn to greet Bailey.

After a few moments of greeting each other silence overcame the room as Bailey glanced at the others who were still staring at the scene in front of them. Alex and Arizona were each silently trying to figure out how to introduce the cast of characters in the room.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" Bailey looked to Arizona and Alex as she motioned to the rest of the room.

Alex cleared his throat and guided her across the room to Arizona's parents. He decided to introduce everyone on a first name basis in hopes that Bailey wouldn't pick up on it. "Of course. Dr. Bailey this is Daniel and Barbara. They're the kids' grandparents. The two munchkins on the bed are Abraham and Elijah. Abe's in the blue and Eli's in the green. And this little angel is Della." Alex then turned his attention to the Robbins', "Dr. Bailey was my resident when I was an intern."

"And Dr. Robbins once tried to lure me into pediatric surgery," Bailey spoke.

Arizona clarified, "I would have gotten you if it hadn't have been for the chief. I still maintain that you would have been great in peds."

"Well, you got a great surgeon in Dr. Karev instead." Bailey shook the elder Robbins' hands as she was introduced and then smiled at the kids. "Now what brings you two back to Seattle?"

Arizona sat on the bed and rubbed Abe's fuzzy head, "Abraham has a heart defect. Teddy's repaired it three times now but the repairs are only temporary and last week he had a complication. We're here to see what she can do."

Abe smiled as his mother spoke of him. For being only almost three years old he knew a lot about medicine, hospitals and hearts. "I was born 'fore my heart was ready but my Aunt 'eddy and Auntie Em are gonna fix me," Abe declared proudly as he pulled down his pajama top to proudly show the stranger the scars on his chest.

"That is some scar you have there little guy. It's very nice to meet you Abraham. And you too Elijah," Bailey spoke as she made her way to leave the room. "I'll leave you guys to it. It's really good to have you guys back, even if it's just a visit."

Arizona followed Bailey out of the room. She wasn't sure what Bailey knew but she knew she needed to find out and do damage control.

Arizona quietly closed the door behind her as Bailey's face softened. "That is a very smart little boy you have there."

"He is. He knows more about what is wrong with him than the intern that took his blood yesterday." Arizona smiled. She couldn't help but be proud of her son as she thought back to their birth.

_It was past seven o'clock in the evening on September 21, 2012. Arizona and Alex had just finished their last surgery for the day. They were the last ones in the clinic besides the night nurse. They went to change clothes before heading home. They were bickering about what to eat for dinner when they heard a loud banging on the front door. After rushing downstairs, they found a man carrying a woman whose lower half was covered in blood._

_Alex rushed the woman into an examination room as Arizona called the local hospital. They were a children's clinic and their patient was decidedly not a child. She was waiting for someone to answer when Alex yelled out to her that the woman was pregnant and experiencing a placental abruption._

_Arizona dropped the phone and ran to help. The woman had lost a lot of blood already. They started a blood transfusion as soon as possible but with her blood loss it was futile. The pair quickly set up for an emergency c-section. As Arizona pulled the babies from their mother she realized just how young they were. Based on development traits, they guessed they were no more than twenty five weeks gestation. By the time both babies had been delivered, the mother was gone. She had lost too much blood from the trauma._

_The operating room became a blur after the babies were removed from their mother. Alex raced to get an isolette set up to protect them as Arizona worked hard to insert tiny breathing tubes and jumpstart their bodies._

"_They're too small," Alex mumbled as he watched the machines keep the babies alive. "And we don't have the technology they need to survive."_

_Arizona nodded sadly, "But they won't survive transport to Lilongwe."_

_Alex and Arizona watched the baby boys for the next hour. Neither of them spoke. Arizona couldn't help but think back to an eerily similar situation she was in only a year prior with her own daughter. She shook her head, no, Callie's daughter. Alex knew exactly what she was thinking about and wrapped his arm around her in comfort._

_Arizona moved to place her hand atop the isolette that contained both babies. "If they survive the night, tomorrow I'll fly to Lilongwe and get everything I can even think of that we'll need for them while you keep them alive. If I come back and they are gone I will beat you Alex. Remember the brick?"_

_Alex couldn't help but smile at the memory of a jealous Arizona, "How are you going to make that happen?"_

"_Let me worry about that. I can be very persuasive. It doesn't hurt that I'm pretty either." Arizona turned her attention back to the babies and softly. "We're going to fix you guys." Arizona reached down and grabbed Alex's hand. This had been an emotional day for them both. "I promise you guys. Even though you're here way too early, you've already lost your mother and we have no idea who your family is – you'll never be alone."_

_Arizona and Alex pulled up chairs to camp out next to the babies. When they were still breathing in the morning, Arizona headed to Lilongwe as she promised. The babies continued to surpass all expectations and survive._

Bailey's voice broke her out of her trip down memory lane. "I heard the rumors about you and Alex yesterday. April told me that you two both got married. What she didn't tell me was that you two married each other though."

Arizona's face fell in shock. Bailey had figured it out. If Bailey could figure it out after five minutes, the rest of the hospital wouldn't take long. Arizona started to stumble over her words. "Uh…We're not… I mean we didn't..."

Bailey placed her hand on Arizona's forearm. "Shh. I won't tell anyone but I do expect to hear the story behind that one. Especially from the woman who once proudly told me about how she had never even kissed a man before. I want to know how _that_ woman ended up married to a man."

Arizona laughed as she remembered that conversation that she had years ago with Bailey. "I think Alex was about to go get coffee for everyone but I can take his place and make the coffee run for him. Do you have time for a cup? We might be able to make it through the first act of the story."

As they headed toward the elevator Arizona could hear Bailey muttering under her breath, "Another one of my interns marrying an attending. I was afraid of my attendings…"

**…**

Arizona and Alex were taking advantage of some peaceful time alone while Teddy was getting an MRI on Abraham. They curled up on Teddy's office couch and snuggled close as they drifted into an afternoon nap. Arizona and Alex weren't used to keeping clear of each others' personal space. For the last two and a half years they had been a couple – a very loving and openly affectionate couple. Stealing some quiet time on the couch together was a welcome feeling by both of them. As Alex watched Arizona sleep peacefully he thought back to the journey that they've been on since the boys came into their lives.

When they petitioned for the adoption of Abraham and Elijah they were immediately denied because they weren't residents of Malawi. Malawi instituted strict adoption laws to keep Americans from swooping in and stealing the children of the country. Especially after all the publicity Madonna caused when she adopted from the African country. The government saw them as people who just wanted to save poor black babies from poverty. Arizona and Alex were able to fight the government and prove that they had been legal residents of Malawi for almost a full year.

Once they cleared that hurdle another roadblock in the process popped up. It seemed like something would always block the adoption. After getting over the residency hurdle, the government then said they couldn't adopt because the couple wasn't married. The evening after finding out they were again denied due to a silly rule, Alex proposed to Arizona.

_It was seven pm when Alex and Arizona left the clinic for the day. In comparison to most days, they had actually left the clinic earlier than normal but today they felt like they had been in a twelve round boxing match and come out the losers. They were busy at work that morning when a government social worker, Kingsley, stopped by to tell them that their adoption petition had again been denied due to their marital status or lack thereof. Kingsley informed them that he expected the boys to be ready to go to the orphanage by the end of the week. Alex was able to stall him by lying and informing him that the twins had both just come down with pneumonia and couldn't be moved until they fully recovered – which in preemies could take over a month._

_The rest of the day at the clinic was miserable for the pair. Arizona just wanted to go to her office and cry but they had a full caseload of patients to see. When they finished for the day, they stopped to see the twins before heading home. As Alex cradled both of the boys in his arms he knew what he had to do and he would do it that evening. Alex made up an excuse to not walk home with Arizona so that he could run to the marketplace. In his mind, a marriage proposal didn't count if it didn't include a ring. He knew it wouldn't be the best ring but it would do until he could get a proper one. He found a small but beautiful local sapphire made by a local townie and made his way home._

_When Alex entered the apartment he found Arizona sitting on the couch staring into space. Even from behind Alex could tell how sad she was. She didn't even look up when she heard the front door open and close. She didn't greet him with her trademark smile and dimples. She just sat and stared at the wall. He sat on the coffee table in front of the couch and broke Arizona out of her trance. Arizona couldn't help but take in Alex's haphazard appearance. He looked like he had been sweating and had a weird look on his face. A look she'd never seen from him before. It was a goofy smile but with worried eyes. Arizona had no idea what Alex had been up to in the hour that they had separated but she was intrigued by the look on his face._

"_You're beautiful, smart, amazing. You're pretty much perfect. When we first started working together at Seattle Grace I had an instant crush on you. You're totally my type – blonde, beautiful, good boobs. But you're gay and I was married so it's not like anything would happen anyway," Alex started his proposal earning a look of confusion from the blonde curled up on the couch in front of him. He didn't let her talk. "I'm a mess. I was a juvenile delinquent. I grew up in foster care with a crazy mom. I am always surrounded by crazy women." Arizona raised her eyebrows at his last statement and Alex quickly clarified, "you're the exception to that rule but even you can admit you can be kinda crazy. It's gotta be something in the XX chromosome." Alex took a deep breath realizing he had gotten off track. Arizona didn't know what Alex was trying to say with his speech so she stayed quiet. "A year ago we both ran away from our lives but maybe what we didn't realize is that we were just running to our lives. You've become the best friend I've ever had over this past year. And those boys, we've both loved them like our own since we delivered them and then stayed next to them all night in the NICU so they wouldn't die alone. Abe and Eli didn't die on us and we're not going to leave them alone now." Alex let the words hang in the air as he took a deep breath and pulled the ring out of his pocket. "So what I'm trying to say is, Arizona Elizabeth Robbins, will you marry me?"_

_Arizona was shocked. She had spent the last hour wondering just how they were going to get custody of the children. Marriage was a huge roadblock. Honestly she'd thought about just marrying Alex but she pushed the idea aside thinking that he'd never go for it. Arizona had always assumed she'd never get married, legally married, because she was gay and gay marriage wasn't legal. But Alex? Alex had options. He'd even been married before._

"_Are you sure?" The words stumbled out of Arizona's mouth._

_Alex moved from the coffee table to sit next to her on the couch. "Of course I am. I'm a little offended you even need to ask that. Plus, I get a hot wife and two handsome kids out of this. I'm making out really well." Alex paused before asking again, "So will you?"_

"_Yes," Arizona answered as she pulled him into a hug._

After staying up all night talking and working out details Alex and Arizona figured they would just get married and then divorce after an acceptable time. It turned out, for Arizona and Alex, that it wasn't as simple as they thought. The government took note of their repeated adoption attempts and realized that this couple might be faking it just to get the babies. The government decided they would allow the adoption to continue but they would keep an eye on the family. They wanted to be sure that this was a real couple so Arizona and Alex had to act like a real couple.

The first things to go when they got married were personal space boundaries. At home, even in private, they had to make it appear that they were living like a married couple. The government officials could stop by at any time of day to check on them. It wasn't hard to do as they lived in a very small one bedroom apartment. The main change was instead of sleeping on the couch, Alex now slept in the bed with Arizona. In public, they made sure to hold hands, hug and kiss. They appeared to be blissfully happy newlyweds. It had been two weeks since their impromptu wedding at the local courthouse when Alex noticed Kingsley watching them for the first time.

_Alex looked over his shoulder for the third time during their short ten minute walk to work. The man was still following them. He had been behind them ever since they left home. Alex decided to try something. They were coming up on a coffee hut. Even though they had coffee before they left for work, Alex insisted they stop and grab some more. Supporting the local economy, he claimed. Sure enough, as soon as they got the coffee and resumed their walk to work the man was still trailing behind them. If he had simply been a normal passerby he would have long passed the couple since they stopped for a drink._

_Alex squeezed Arizona's hand tighter and leaned in to place a kiss below her ear. He used the kiss as a way to disguise that he was communicating with her._

"_Just go with this," he whispered to the blonde._

_As they approached the clinic Arizona kept walking, intending to go inside and start her day as normal when she felt a tug on her hand. Her husband had stopped walking. She turned to look at him with a curious stare. He responded with a sly smile. Alex let go of her hand and brought his hands to cup her face. Gently brushing his thumbs along her cheeks he leaned down to place a kiss on his wife's lips._

_Arizona was used to kissing Alex. They had been officially married for two weeks and in those two weeks anytime they were in public, including at work, they would often give each other kisses. None of these kisses went any further than a long peck and none of them involved tongue._

_As Alex pressed his lips on Arizona's he pulled back slightly and opened his mouth. He let his tongue trace along Arizona's lips, trying to silently get her to open her mouth. He was rewarded when he felt Arizona's mouth open against his and their tongues collided. Their tongues danced together like they had been kissing for years. After a few moments, Alex pulled back and ended this kiss. He followed it up with a short peck and a smile. Arizona smiled back and linked their hands together again as they headed into work._

_Arizona went straight to her office and was followed dutifully by Alex. She walked around her desk to grab her lab coat off of her office chair. Alex stood against the door waiting for her to say something, anything about what had just happened outside._

"_Want to tell me why I just had my first french kiss with a guy?" Arizona raised her eyebrows as she slipped into her coat._

_Alex laughed, "First off, I'm not just any guy. I'm your husband. And we were being watched. Kingsley followed us from the moment we left the apartment. I just thought he might need a little more help believing in our marriage."_

_Arizona's face dropped at the mention of Kingsley. She couldn't fathom losing the boys. They were due to be released from the NICU in a week and Alex and Arizona were anxiously awaiting their arrival in their apartment. In their home. "You think he bought it?"_

"_I didn't look but I think we were pretty convincing. We need to step it up more though. We only have a week and they said they weren't going to make the final decision until the boys were ready to leave here. Even then I don't think we're out of the woods until we move back to the U.S."_

_Arizona nodded, "Of course. I have no problem with that." Arizona's assistant and translator knocked softly on the door to update her with her schedule for the day. Alex took that as his cue to leave and start checking on his own patients. But he didn't leave before walking up to Arizona and giving her one last lingering kiss._

"_Babe, See you for lunch?" Arizona asked as he left the office. Alex threw up his hand in acknowledgement. They both knew the question was rhetorical; they had been eating lunch together in the NICU, just outside the glass windows where they could watch their sons, since they delivered the twins nearly six months ago._

_After Alex left, Arizona slunk down in her chair as her assistant rattled off everything she needed to do that day. Arizona wasn't paying attention though. Her mind was on the kiss that she shared with Alex outside the clinic. Arizona had never questioned her sexuality. She knew she liked girls for as long as she could remember. She never even experimented with boys. She always thought it'd be gross and disgusting. Lost in her own thoughts all she could think about was how that kiss with Alex was anything but gross and disgusting. She couldn't keep the kiss out of her mind and what troubled her most was the fact that she looked forward to doing it again. At thirty-three years old, Alexander Karev had Arizona questioning her sexuality for the very first time._

Ever since that first true kiss together, the affection flowed even more freely between Alex and Arizona so it was weird for them to not be close while they were in Seattle. It was weird to not hold hands as they walked along the hospital hallways. The cardio surgeons were taking a lot longer than they should have and as a result Alex and Arizona had taken advantage of the locked office door. When Teddy and Emily entered the office they found Alex and Arizona sleeping as they spooned together tightly on the tiny couch.

Arizona and Alex groaned when their sleep was interrupted by the chatty surgeons as they entered the room. They slowly woke up as their friends made fun of them.

"Ugh. Could you two be any cuter?" Emily said in jest as she pretended to gag herself with her finger. "I thought I wouldn't have to deal with you two being so cute since we're here in Seattle where people don't know that you've gone straight, Zona."

Teddy slapped Emily's back with the chart she had in her hands, "I think it's cute."

Arizona and Alex ignored the comments as they made their way to a sitting position and wiped the sleep out of her eyes.

"What's the status?" Arizona asked as she yawned. She was afraid of the answer. Deep down she already knew the answer but she didn't want to acknowledge it yet.

Teddy and Emily pulled chairs next to the couch so they could discuss everything with their friends. This was difficult for the cardio surgeons to do. Doctors are used to giving bad news to families but the families are rarely their actual families. Teddy and Emily looked at each other before turning to look at the solemn faces of Alex and Arizona. After noticing their friends weren't making eye contact, Alex knew this wouldn't be good. He instinctively wrapped his arm around Arizona's waist to keep her close. They would need each other to make it through this.

Teddy passed Arizona the chart, "The good news is that the valve repair we did last year is still holding strong. Abraham is growing and getting bigger like every full-term child of his age which is wonderful. The problem is that his left ventricle isn't able to support Abraham's bigger body."

"The Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome that he was born with is getting worse," Emily added.

"What do we do now?" Arizona asked with tears in her eyes.

"We want to do the Fontan procedure but that's not curative. We need to get him moved up to the top of the donor list. His recent myocardial infarction should get him up to the top."

Alex held Arizona tighter, "What if the Fontan doesn't work?"

"We get him a heart." Teddy stated plainly.

Arizona's eyes were glossy with tears, "How much time?"

Emily got up to sit on the other side of her sister. She gently placed her hand on Arizona's arm, "You know we can't know that but Abe is such a strong little boy."

Alex too was crying silently. "When are you going to do the Fontan?"

"We'd like to do it in three days. We'll start the pre-op steroids and antibiotics today."

Alex nodded as he gently pulled Arizona into a standing position. After hearing the latest news he had an intense desire to be with his son and he knew Arizona did too. The two stood in the office looking like their world had just been crushed. If things didn't work, they didn't know how they would survive.

Emily and Teddy confirmed the plans to discuss the surgery with the rest of the family later and watched with their own tear filled eyes as Alex and Arizona left the office. Arizona didn't make it very far out of the office before she broke down in Alex's arms. Alex quickly guided them into the stairwell so they could cry in private, or as much privacy as one could have in the hospital.

Cristina watched from afar as the two exited Teddy's office. She witnessed Arizona's breakdown and the tenderness with which Alex cared for her. Cristina looked on curiously and knew something was going on with the two pediatric surgeons – she just didn't know yet.

**…**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews they definitely make me keep writing and I'm sorry for the longer than normal wait for an update. This is kind of a filler chapter with a lot of dialogue at the end but the action starts to pick up in the next chapter, I promise!

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

The cafeteria was buzzing. The early dinner rush had almost every table full of doctors and nurses. They were all trying to eat as they waited on the last of their paperwork and labs for the day. The cafeteria was a cliquey place. It was reminiscent of a high school lunch room. There weren't assigned tables but everyone seemed to always eat at the same one with the same people. Some people were just getting to work and others were waiting to leave. Each table buzzed with the day's gossip. In the middle of the room, a group of surgeons were coming together to discuss their day.

"Something's going on with Robbins and Karev," Cristina stated as she sat her tray down on the table.

April looked up from her plate, "What makes you say that?"

"Earlier today I saw them leave Teddy's office. Arizona was crying."

Callie and Mark walked up to the table just in time to hear Arizona's name. Callie rolled her eyes. She was sick of hearing her ex-girlfriends name around the hospital. She just wanted to eat dinner and forget that Arizona was even in the same city. "Can we not talk about her? That's all you guys have been talking about since they showed up yesterday."

Cristina replied, "You're just mad because you had to talk to her and her wife yesterday."

"So the tiny blonde is the wife? Damn. She's hot. Robbins did well for herself. Though they look like they could be sisters. That's kind of weird to be married to someone that looks like your sister," Mark commented as he stole a fry off of Callie's tray ducking the nasty glance she was giving him.

Callie shrugged and played with the food on her plate, "She didn't introduce her as her wife but they both have wedding rings on."

Cristina tried to steer the discussion back on topic, "Back to the topic at hand. What is going on with Robbins and Karev? They both came out of Teddy's office looking like their grandmother just died. Arizona was in tears and broke down in Alex's arms. He was being all touchy feely with her and loving. Since when is Alex that nice to anyone? He's Evil Spawn for a reason."

"I say we do some undercover work," April smiled. "Can we have code names?"

Cristina shook her head, "No code names. But yes to the snooping. We need someone to get some inside intel on them but they're not talking to anyone besides Teddy. Do you think we can get her to help us?"

Mark laughed and waved his hands around in the air, "No way is Teddy going to help you snoop on her best friend. She hasn't talked about Arizona in four years even though we've all known that she's gone to Malawi on multiple occasions."

"Then stalking it is. I'll get Meredith to help. Maybe she can guilt Alex into talking to her. He should feel bad about turning her in. Callie you think Arizona will talk to you?"

Callie snorted, "No. No way. Not with the way things ended. She could barely talk to me for two minutes yesterday without wanting to run away."

Cristina continued to spearhead the mission, "Well, see what you can do anyway. Operation Babysitters has commenced. Keep your eyes out for them and we'll all report back tomorrow at lunch."

**…**

After eating dinner, Alex and Arizona broached the topic of surgery with Abraham and the rest of the family. Even though Eli wasn't having the surgery he was always worried about his brother. Their twin connection was often mysterious to their parents. Eli and Abe always knew when something was wrong with their other half. They were both in and out of surgery often during their short lives and the other could always tell when the surgeons had made their first cuts on their brother. Arizona first noticed it when Abe had his first surgery at six weeks old. As soon as Teddy began the heart surgery a nurse busted into the operating room declaring that something must be wrong with Eli since he started crying uncontrollably and could not be soothed. Arizona and Alex found the connection to be freaky but understood that some things could not be explained – especially when it came to identical twins. Alex and Arizona made a point to treat them like individuals and encouraged them to be their own people. They wouldn't refer to them as "the twins." They made sure they each got alone time with each parent. But still they would always gravitate to each other. They were more than brothers, they were best friends. What hurt one, hurt the other. Knowing that Abe needed more surgery was painful for Eli.

"Fix heart?" Eli asked as he pointed to Abe's chest.

Teddy nodded, "Yes, sweetie. We're going to go fix Abe's heart soon."

"What're you gonna do?" Eli asked again. He was more interested in the surgery than Abe. Abe zoned out as soon as they told him he'd have to have another surgery. When his parents brought him to Seattle they told him that his Aunt Teddy was going to fix him again but they didn't mention anything about surgery. Surgery involved pain and not being able to go outside and play. It meant being stuck in the hospital for even longer. He was angry. He didn't want another surgery. He just wanted to go home and play with his friends. Instead of acting out with a tantrum, Abe clammed up and refused to talk or even look at the adults in the room.

Emily spoke up, "We're going to make his heart work better by having the lungs help pump the blood."

Teddy showed Eli some films and pointed out the arteries and how they would redirect them with the surgery. As they explained the procedure to the kids, Arizona and Alex sat on the couch with her parents quietly explaining the procedure in more adult terminology.

Abe finally spoke up and silenced all conversation in the room. "Mama, will you be there?"

Arizona got up from the couch and moved toward the boys. She gently lifted Abe and sat down on the bed in his space with him on her lap. "I can't be there baby. Mamas aren't allowed to operate on their own babies. But Aunt Teddy and Aunt Em promise to take very good care of you."

Abe's eyes filled with tears and he hugged his blankie closer to his body, "What about Daddy?"

Alex moved next to his son and stroked his cheek. "Daddies aren't allowed to operate on their own babies either, bud. We'll be there as soon as Aunt Teddy is done, waiting for you to wake up for your nap."

"Can I have ice cream when I wake up?"

Alex smiled, relieved that Abe didn't get upset that his parents couldn't be in the operating room with him. "Sure. As long as you share with Mama. You know she loves ice cream."

After they talked about the surgery the mood in the room improved. Abe was appeased with the promise of ice cream and with the help of his brother had convinced Teddy and Emily to play Candyland with them. Teddy and Emily quickly realized that the two little boys were sharks at board games. For a game that was pure luck, they always seemed to beat the adults. Alex and Arizona sat on the couch, cuddled closely while they watched their family play.

Lurking outside the hospital room door was Cristina Yang who was trying to gain information as a part of Operation Babysitters. All she could hear from the other side of the hospital room doors was laughter. She paced back and forth hoping for someone to exit the room but she didn't have any luck. Not being able to get any information from outside the room she returned to the cardiac patients and discovered one had taken a turn for the worse. She could have easily handled it herself but instead she thought it would be a good way to see inside the mysterious hospital room. Cristina double timed it back to the room where she knocked on the door.

Alex was laughing as he opened the door. His laughter ceased when he saw who was on the other side of the door. He closed the door so that his body was blocking the view of most of the room. "What do you want?"

"A nurse told me Teddy was here. One of her patients needs surgery."

Alex nodded and turned his head to call for Teddy. He didn't open the door any further. He didn't want Cristina to overhear one of the boys calling them "mama" and "daddy." When Teddy came to the door and left the room Cristina was given a brief glimpse and all she could see were two black toddlers on the bed playing a game with Emily and Arizona.

Her reconnaissance mission didn't yield her any new information. The secrecy of Alex about what was going on inside the hospital room piqued her interest and she was more certain than ever that they were hiding something. Operation Babysitters needed a breakthrough.

**…**

Alex closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the cafeteria wall. It was five o'clock in the morning and his day was just about to officially begin even though he had already been up for several hours. He had only been able to sleep for a few hours before he was woken up by his wife's tears. Arizona had been up crying all night. She couldn't help but think that these were the last days she could have with their son. She had barely slept since they arrived in Seattle. She couldn't sleep. She would lie down and try but in the end she would always get up and sit vigil by Abe's bed. She was too afraid to sleep. She was afraid that if she went to sleep that Abe wouldn't be there when she woke up.

Alex spent the early morning hours calming his wife. He reminded her of all of the facts that she used to tell him about children and how they survive worse things because of their resiliency. He forced Arizona to leave the chair next to the hospital bed and lay down with him on the couch.

Alex ran his hands through her hair as Arizona rested against his chest. "Do you remember our first night home with them?"

He could feel her nod against his chest. "Of course, I do. One of the best days of my life."

"_We should go to bed. You're supposed to sleep when your baby sleeps," Alex lectured the blonde who was hovering over the crib in the nursery. When they decided to adopt the boys they knew they would need to move. Their tiny, cramped apartment could barely fit two people let alone four. Arizona went to the Carter Madison committee and bartered with them for a bigger place. Alex and Arizona offered to stay another year in Mzuzu in exchange for better housing. For the adoption to become final, they were required to stay in Malawi for another year anyway so why not get something from the committee out of it. _

_Arizona tore her gaze away from the tiny infants in the crib. "Can't sleep. What if something happens to them while we're sleeping?"_

"_So you're not going to sleep for the next eighteen years?"_

_Arizona firmly nodded her head, "If that's what it takes."_

_Alex laughed and pulled Arizona closer to him so that her back was against his front with his hands resting on her hips. He whispered in her ear, "They'll be okay. We can't protect them from everything for the rest of their lives."_

_Arizona shivered as he spoke in her ear. Ever since they kissed a week ago she couldn't stop thinking about Alex in a not so friendly way. Arizona turned so that she was facing him, still encompassed in his arms. "They're still so little. Maybe we should take them back to the NICU where nurses can watch them all night. I think that's a good idea…"_

_Alex could see Arizona's fears start to take over when she started to ramble, he had to stop her from freaking herself out more. He stopped her the only way he knew how – he kissed her. He kissed her hard. He felt Arizona stiffen as their lips collided but then relaxed and reciprocated the kiss. It was the first time they'd kissed when they were in private. They had no one they were trying to prove their relationship to inside their house, yet Arizona still kissed him back. _

_Alex poured all of his feelings into the kiss. It might be the only true, non-theatrical kiss he'd ever get from Arizona. Over the past weeks of marriage and pretending to be in love, Alex found himself truthfully falling in love with the blonde._

_A soft cry broke them from their passionate embrace and Arizona rushed over to check on the babies. She gently lifted the crying baby and started to rock him gently. Alex couldn't help but watch the scene in front of him. It was beautiful to watch his best friend and wife soothing their son's cries. Elijah quickly calmed in his mother's arms and Arizona put him back in the crib next to his still sleeping brother._

_Arizona turned away from the crib and took Alex's hand. "Let's go to bed. They're sleeping so we should too."_

"_You sure?"_

_Arizona nodded, "You're right. We'll hear them cry through the monitors if they need us. They'll be okay."_

_They quietly exited the nursery and headed to their master bedroom. Alex was already almost asleep when Arizona exited the bathroom after finishing her pre-bed routine. She quietly slipped into bed next to Alex not wanting to disturb his sleep. Instead of staying on her side as she usually did, she moved next to Alex and rested her head on his chest. As she started to fall asleep she felt Alex's arm's tighten around her waist._

"That was the first night you ever cuddled up to me like this. I was afraid to move. I didn't want to scare you away," Alex commented as he squeezed her waist. "We can't protect them from everything, Zo. And staring at Abe while he sleeps isn't going to change anything."

Arizona's voice was at a whisper, "I know. I just feel so helpless. I'm a doctor, I should be able to do something!"

"Abe needs you to be his mother and not his doctor. And he needs his mother to get some sleep so that she's not cranky all day tomorrow."

"I'll try," Arizona patted his chest, "As long as you stay right here."

Alex started rubbing circles on Arizona's back, knowing the soothing motion would help put her to sleep. "I'm right where I need to be," Alex said as he kissed the top of her head.

"Alex?" A sleepy Arizona murmered.

"Yeah, Zo?" Alex whispered. He could tell Arizona was almost asleep and didn't want to do anything to wake her up.

"That kiss that night. The night the boys came home. Best kiss of my life."

After she spoke, Alex could tell Arizona had fallen asleep. He didn't want to wake her up. He knew she would probably only be asleep for a few hours and didn't want to disturb her sleep in any way as it was a miracle she was even sleeping in the first place.

Alex shifted slightly to a more comfortable position so that he could hold her better while she slept. He kissed the top of his wife's head and squeezed her tighter against his body.

"Best kiss of my life too," he mumbled into her hair as he held tight.

Three hours later and Arizona woke up. Alex didn't sleep while he held Arizona so he went off in search of coffee as soon as she was awake. Alex kept his eyes closed as he rested against the cafeteria wall. Coffee would keep him going that day. He moved his coffee to right under his nose and inhaled deeply. He was past the point of exhaustion but it was worth it if Arizona got some sleep.

A voice from in front of him startled him into opening his eyes, "Are you going to drink it or just smell it? You know you don't get the caffeine from the smell."

Alex smirked at Meredith, "It's too hot. Don't want to burn my tongue."

Meredith sat down across from Alex and gazed at him. She took in his haphazard appearance. He had dark circles under his eyes, his hair was messy and he hadn't shaved in days. It was clear that his personal appearance wasn't a priority for him.

Alex ran his hand over his short brown hair and scruffed it up. "I'm still not sorry for saying something to Hunt. I am sorry for the way that I went about it but you and I both know that you were wrong."

Meredith's fingers played with the cardboard sleeve on her coffee cup, "You could have at least given me a little heads up warning. You owed me that much."

Alex nodded, "I'm sorry. But everything turned out okay in the end, right?"

Meredith smiled because it was true. She only received a short suspension from the hospital. Derek was pissed at her but got over it once they received word that a potential adoption was going to go through for them. "It did. Well, except the fact that you ran off to Africa. What were you thinking?"

"I needed a fresh start. I couldn't be here anymore. After everything we'd gone through in residency, I needed to feel like I was really making a difference."

"And did you?"

Alex smiled and took his first sip of his now cooled coffee, "I did."

Meredith decided to start fishing for information. She agreed with Cristina that something was definitely going on with Alex. "Tell me about it. Africa."

"I wouldn't even know where to start."

"What was your favorite case?"

Alex knew the answer to that one. It was easy. One half of his favorite case was sitting in a hospital room a few floors above them. "Arizona and I delivered twenty-five week old twins from a dying woman. Then Arizona flew off to the nearest big city and flirted her way into getting us all the supplies we'd need to keep them alive."

"They survive?"

Alex nodded, "They did. They're both here right now. Teddy's performing heart surgery on Abraham in a couple of days."

"They're here? So you kept in touch with their family after all this time?"

"Yeah. We're very close with the family."

Meredith couldn't understand being that close to a patient's family. That didn't happen in the United States. You treat the disease not the patient. "That's impressive. I barely remember my patient's last names."

Alex understood where she was coming from, "Things are different in Africa."

Meredith wanted to try a different approach to getting information from Alex. She had no idea that she had just been told about his own children. "You and Arizona seem close. Definitely not the normal boss and subordinate relationship."

Alex laughed, "Like you are one to talk about normal relationships with bosses."

"True. But I'm sleeping with mine."

Alex laughed again. Meredith had no idea how close she was to the truth. "We'd work twelve hours at the clinic together and then we'd go home together. You can't help but be close."

"Wait, you lived together?"

"Yeah. The committee could only pay me a stipend and not housing so I moved in with Arizona."

Alex had finished his coffee and glanced at his watch. Abraham would be waking up soon. He needed to escape the conversation and get back upstairs but Meredith didn't seem to want to end their conversation and kept asking questions about his past four years.

"How'd you meet your wife?"

Alex answered truthfully, "At work." It wasn't his fault that Meredith would assume that he meant at work in Africa not at work in Seattle.

"So she's a doctor or nurse?"

Alex's cell phone buzzed and saved him. He saw a text message from Arizona letting him know that Abe was awake and if he could bring coffee he would be her hero. Meredith noticed the smile that graced Alex's face when he read his cell phone. She subtly shifted closer to him and got a quick glance over his shoulder at his text message. She couldn't see who it was from but she could see the words coffee and love. Alex shoved his cell phone in his pocket as he stood up. He quickly answered Meredith's question, "She's a doctor. Sorry I gotta run. Arizona needs coffee. I'll see you around."

Meredith watched as Alex got back in line for coffee. Why would Arizona's text contain the word love? At least she could return to Cristina with some information. It was better than nothing.

**…**

"So you talked to Alex this morning?" Cristina asked as her and Meredith walked toward the elevator.

Meredith nodded, "He was sitting by himself in the cafeteria this morning having coffee."

"Did you get any good information?" Cristina was curious.

"I don't think so."

"Well, what did you talk about?"

"Nothing really. I kept asking him questions to get him to open up but he would only answer in short sentences with very few details."

"Well, tell me everything anyway," Cristina demanded.

Meredith proceeded to detail the conversation she had with Alex.

"So you didn't get anything about the wife?" Cristina asked after listening to Meredith go over everything she had talked about with Alex.

"Just that she's a doctor. Then he got a text message and went to get Arizona coffee."

Cristina chuckled, "He is so whipped by her. Doesn't he know she's gay?"

**…**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you for all the great reviews on the last chapter - especially to the new readers who are taking a chance on an unusual pairing! It really does make my day to see the reviews. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

Two days later and Operation Babysitters was at a standstill. The pediatric surgeons were rarely seen outside of the hospital room which made gaining any information on them difficult.

In a rare move, Alex and Arizona took Della for a walk while Abe and Eli were napping. She was starting to get fussy and they hadn't had any alone time with their baby girl since they arrived in Seattle. It was a beautiful summer day in Seattle so they took the opportunity to head outside and toward the hospital playground. At nine weeks old, Della couldn't actually enjoy the playground on her own but she could participate with the help of her parents.

As the playground came into view, Arizona stopped dead in her tracks. _She_ was there. _She_ was there with _her_. Arizona felt like she was going to be sick. The last time she saw Sofia she was a month old and still fighting to survive. Arizona never stopped loving Sofia. Those feelings don't stop just because Sofia's mother wanted her out of her life. Now years later she was walking toward the little girl she at one point considered to be her daughter with her own daughter in her arms. She needed a moment to compose herself. Alex quickly took notice and scooped Della out of her arms and gave Arizona a reassuring squeeze. He knew how much seeing Sofia would hurt Arizona. He noticed that every year on Sofia's birthday Arizona would go missing for a few hours. He didn't know what Arizona did for those few hours and he didn't need to know. He trusted her. He knew that she didn't love him or their children any less, she just loved Sofia too.

After taking a moment to take a few deep breaths, Arizona and Alex continued toward the playground. Della started laughing as soon as she saw the swings. They were her favorite even at two months old. Callie's head whipped around when she heard the baby's laughter. Callie's eyes bugged out. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. She too realized what was about to happen.

"Hey," Arizona mumbled as they reached the playground bench where Callie was sitting.

Callie gave her a soft smile, "Hey." Callie eyed the baby in Alex's arms. "Who's this?"

"This is Della," Alex spoke then turned to the baby. "Della, this is Dr. Callie. Can you say hi?" Alex picked up the baby's hand and waved it for her. Della gurgled and Alex laughed. "That's as good as you're going to get."

"She's your daughter, Alex?" Callie questioned.

Alex smiled like the proud papa that he was and kissed the top of the baby's head, "Yep. Nine weeks old as of yesterday."

"She's beautiful."

"Thanks. I think so too but I'm a little biased."

Arizona stood around uncomfortably as Callie questioned her husband about their child, only Callie had no idea that it was her baby. The three of them stood around awkwardly as Della drooled on herself. Out of nowhere Cristina appeared next to Callie. Arizona wondered if the Asian woman had super powers or something. She always just seemed to appear anytime they left the hospital room. They had no idea that she was stalking them in her free time.

Cristina announced her presence, "Hey Cal. I heard you and Sofia were out here. Thought I'd come enjoy some play time while I'm waiting on some patient labs to get back." Cristina turned to look at the pediatric surgeons, feigning surprise at their being there, "Hey guys. Fancy meeting you here." Cristina raked her eyes over Alex and watched as he held the tiny baby close to his chest and against his shoulder. "Who's the kid? Don't tell me Evil Spawn has Evil Spawn of his own?"

Alex rolled his eyes, "Don't call my daughter Evil Spawn. Her name is Della. And we're going to go swing, right Della Bella?" Della laughed when her father's intonation rose and said her name.

Arizona watched Alex and Della walk away. She was now stuck alone with Callie and Cristina. This was not what she wanted for her afternoon with her husband and daughter. Now her husband was off playing on the playground while she had to make nice with her former roommates.

"I can't believe Alex has a baby. How did that happen, Robbins?" Cristina stated after Alex walked away. Cristina was glad she decided to head to the park. Knowing Alex had a baby was the biggest break in the Operation since it began.

Arizona sat down on the bench opposite Cristina. She decided to be sociable. It would make things less awkward or at least she hoped. "Um, he had unprotected sex with his wife? Do I really need to give you the sex talk Cristina?"

"You know what I meant, Robbins. I just never thought Alex would settle down with anyone after the Izzie debacle, let alone have kids."

Arizona smiled as she thought about her very settled down life with her husband, "He's an amazing father."

"What kind of name is Della anyway?" Cristina questioned, always looking to stir up the conversation.

"She's named after her grandfather."

Cristina snorted, "I still don't get what kind of name Della is for a man or a baby."

Arizona wanted to avoid answering that question. If she told them that Della was named after her grandfather, Daniel, she was afraid that Callie would start to figure it out. Luckily for Arizona, Callie had her own questions about the baby girl.

Callie wondered aloud, "She's so young. I can't imagine a new mom letting her baby go to Africa and Seattle with her dad all by herself."

Arizona nodded her agreement with Callie, "Oh she definitely couldn't be away from that angel for too long which is why she's here."

Cristina's ears perked up when she heard that Alex's wife was in Seattle. "She's here? Why haven't we seen her?"

"You probably have and just not known it was her." Arizona smirked to herself; she was getting good at giving sly answers to her friends.

Cristina started to open her mouth to ask another question when a tiny ball of black hair came running toward the group of women. Arizona's heart felt like it had stopped in her chest. This was the moment she'd been running from for four years. Most people thought she didn't come back to Seattle because of Callie and that was partly true but really she stayed away because it would kill her to have to see Sofia again. She would have to see the girl whose life she saved, the girl she loved from the moment she heard her heartbeat. Arizona braced herself for the wave of emotion that was about to flood her. She had to stay calm and not show how much this moment was affecting her.

"Auntie Tina!" Sofia shouted as she got closer to the women. Sofia was an exact replica of Callie in miniature. She didn't look anything like her father something Arizona found to be amusing. She was small for her age but as a micro-preemie that was to be expected. Her long black hair was in pig tails and they flowed freely behind her as she approached her godmother.

"Sofia! Too loud." Callie admonished her daughter's yelling.

Sofia nodded and turned to her godmother, "Come play with me." After noticing the look her mother gave her she added, "Please."

Cristina obliged her goddaughter and Callie and Arizona were left alone again. Each staring at the playground watching their daughters play. Arizona let out the breath she didn't know she was holding after Sofia walked away from her. It broke her heart that the little girl had no idea who she was. Arizona had to take a moment to remind herself that she wouldn't have her own children if Callie didn't push her away. While seeing Sofia was painful, the pain was worth it to have her family. To have Abe, Eli, Della and Alex. They were her life now. Callie and Sofia were her past. Seeing Sofia hurt her but it was over and now she could move on. Arizona felt a weight lift off her shoulders after the brief encounter was over.

"She's beautiful," Arizona said in almost a whisper not knowing how to acknowledge what just happened but needing to acknowledge it and not just ignore it.

Callie smiled, "Thank you." A moment of silence passed. Callie also didn't know how to proceed. She wondered if she should talk about Sofia and how great she was doing in her development. Callie decided that Arizona wouldn't want to know about the child she had lost and settled on a safer topic of discussion. "How is it being back in Seattle?"

Arizona let out a nervous laugh that turned into a yawn as the summer sun beat down on them. "I wouldn't know. This is the first time I've been outside the hospital since we got here."

Callie could see the exhaustion on Arizona's face. She always devoted one hundred percent of herself to her patients even at her own expense. "This must be some patient for you and Alex to be running yourselves so ragged."

Arizona nodded, "He is." Arizona breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her sister, Emily walk toward the playground.

"Hey Zona!" Emily greeted her sister. "Heard Alex finally got you to get out of Abe's room. Both of you need the break. Where's my Della at?" As Emily walked around to sit by her sister she noticed Callie sitting there as well. She had been blocked by a sun glare as Emily approached the park. "Oh hello, Dr. Torres," Emily added when she noticed the Latina sitting near her sister.

Callie gave a head nod toward Emily as she acknowledged her greeting. Callie couldn't help but take in the fact that Emily called Della "hers." Callie began to wonder if the younger blonde was married to Alex and not to Arizona.

Emily looked out at Alex who was now going down the slide with Della in his lap. "Doesn't Alex know Della is way too little to enjoy the playground?"

Arizona shook her head. "Della loves the slide and the swings."

Listening into the blondes' conversation Callie was even more confused about Emily and who she was and what her relationship was with Alex, Arizona and the baby.

A high pitch scream erupted from the playground. The three women turned to find the source and couldn't miss the tiny baby who was wailing in her father's arms.

"You sure she loves the slide? That doesn't sound like a happy baby." Emily asked as Alex walked toward them with the baby.

Cristina also couldn't miss the screaming baby coming from the other side of the playground as her and Sofia. Cristina feigned needing a break and left Sofia happily playing on the monkey bars. The Asian woman saw the convergence of adults around the baby and didn't want to miss out on any potential gossip so she too headed back to the benches.

As soon as Della started screaming Alex quickly made his way back to Arizona. They had been going down the slide when she started wailing. It broke his heart but he knew that what Della needed the most were cuddles from her mother. As he approached the women, Alex held out a crying Della to Arizona beckoning her to come grab her. "Zo! I think I broke her!"

"What kind of grown adult calls another grown adult 'Zo'?" Cristina muttered under her breath to Callie as they watched the pair come back to the benches.

They overheard Alex explaining to Arizona what happened, "We were sliding and she was laughing then she went into this high pitched scream. I think I broke her."

"You didn't break her," Arizona laughed as she took her daughter in her arms. Something had clearly upset her baby girl but since the nine week old couldn't speak for herself she would do her best to guess the proper solution to dry her tears.

"Aren't you a pediatric surgeon, Karev? Shouldn't you be able to fix her?" Cristina asked after hearing the exchange between Alex and Arizona.

Alex glared at Cristina as he turned his attention to the baby who immediately calmed in her mother's arms. He rubbed the baby's back as Arizona was whispering softly in her ears. Callie looked on and couldn't take her eyes off of the picture of the blonde with a baby in her arms. Callie never got to see Arizona with Sofia since Arizona left for Africa before Callie could make trips to the NICU. Callie wondered if this is what it would have been like if she didn't push Arizona away. Would the baby in Arizona's arms be _their_ baby? She couldn't help but wonder what life could have been like if things had been different.

Arizona pulled Della closer to her and began to whisper into her ear while looking at her conspiratorially. Every so often she would shift Della so that it looked like the baby was whispering back to her. Alex rolled his eyes, he knew what was coming and it wouldn't be good for him.

"I know what's wrong," Arizona smiled. "Della told me."

Alex rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, "Arizona." He was used to this. Arizona would often converse with the baby. Arizona treated Della just like an adult. It was always amusing to him what Arizona believed Della to be thinking. Whatever Della was thinking normally involved him having to run an errand or do something around the house for Arizona. It was their game. Arizona would claim that Della told her something and Alex would put on a show about how he wouldn't do what the baby says but in the end he couldn't say no to both of his blue eyed girls.

"Don't mock me, Alexander." Arizona admonished. "You know I'm the baby whisperer."

"Yes dear. You are," Alex replied and quickly realized he slipped up with a term of endearment. He tried to cover by redirecting the attention back to the baby. Alex held his hands up in mock defense. "Okay, okay. What does Miss Della say is wrong?"

Arizona cuddled the baby close to her chest with one arm as she reached out to run her hand along Alex's scruffy face. "She says that Daddy needs to shave."

"You totally put that idea in her head, Robbins." Alex dramatically accused her. He knew it was true though; he hadn't shaved since they arrived in Seattle. Alex puffed out his chest, "Just because you don't like the manly look doesn't mean that Della doesn't love it. Don't you Del?" Alex reached out for his daughter and she began to cry again, proving Arizona right.

"You know I don't like it. You look like a caveman. Just because Abe and Eli think it's cool does not mean that the girls do." Arizona shifted Della in her arms. She realized that the people around them had no idea what they were talking about but she didn't care. "Plus, Della says that your facial hair is too rough on her soft and sensitive skin."

Arizona and Alex stared each other down. Neither one wanted to cave on the shaving issue. After a minute of staring Alex knew he would lose this battle so he should just give up.

Alex acquiesced, "Fine. I'll shave today. Happy now?"

Arizona answered for them both and shot him a huge smile. "Very. Now that that is settled, Della Bella and I are going to go slide since she was too preoccupied with her Daddy's homeless look earlier to enjoy it."

Alex shook his head and smiled as his girls walked off toward the slide. Alex wasn't the only one watching her go. Everyone else had their eyes on the retreating blonde. Emily was used to her sister and brother-in-law's snarky disagreements but the other two ladies seemed to be confused by their friendly banter.

"What was that?" Cristina asked, letting her question hang in the air.

Emily shrugged her shoulders, "I learned to not ask questions about them a long time ago. That's a pretty normal exchange for them." Emily paused, "You mean they weren't like this when they worked here?"

Cristina shook her head violently, "No, Arizona once threatened Alex with a brick to make him stay away from her."

Emily laughed. She had heard that story multiple times. Alex even brought it up at their wedding celebration. Emily's phone rang and she walked off to talk while Cristina moved to sit next to Alex. She purposefully bumped his shoulder with her own, "Your own daughter likes Robbins better than you. How does that make you feel?"

"Who wouldn't pick her over me?" Alex asked rhetorically as he watched his wife and daughter laugh down the slide.

After watching Arizona go up and down the slide multiple times Callie spoke breaking the calm silence that had washed over the threesome on the benches, "She looks tired."

Alex knew she wasn't talking about the baby. "She is. She hasn't slept much this last week."

"She needs to take better care of herself."

"I'm working on that," Alex added. "She's taking sleeping meds tonight whether she likes it or not. I have no problem holding her tiny ass down and giving her the shot myself."

Callie laughed. She knew from experience that Arizona wouldn't do anything she didn't want to do. "Good luck with that."

Alex explained, "Abe has his surgery tomorrow so Arizona needs all the rest she can to make it through that. It's going to be a very tough day for her."

Silence filled the air again until they heard the very loud laughter of both Arizona and Della as they walked back toward the benches.

"She looks just like you," Callie commented to Alex as the baby got closer to them.

Alex laughed. This was a common compliment from strangers. "Don't let my wife hear you say that."

"Hear you say what?" Arizona spoke as she handed Della back to her father.

"I was just telling Alex that his daughter looks just like him," Callie clarified. Arizona shook her head in disgust over the comment.

Alex added, "And I was telling her not to let my wife overhear that because that will just start a long rant that I don't need to hear for the hundredth time."

Arizona bit her tongue. She did want to go off on her normal rant but she knew she needed to keep quiet. Callie looked confused so Alex continued. "Everyone always says she looks just like me which drives my wife crazy. It makes her go off about how she carried the baby for forty-one weeks because this one didn't want to come out on time." Alex gestured to the baby in his arms. "Then, she'll explain that she had morning sickness for over one hundred and thirty days of the pregnancy."

Alex was cut off by Arizona who wanted to clarify his story, "Actually, it was more like all day sickness for her." She stressed, "_All. Day. Long."_

"She counted?" Cristina interrupted.

"Oh she totally counted. She said I owed her a present for each day of morning… or rather all day sickness. Apparently a baby wasn't enough of a present for her." Alex threw Arizona a look before he continued, "Then she always goes off about the thirty hours of labor she went through. All drug free. All of that and our daughter comes out looking exactly like me. The nurses said they only believe that Della is hers because they were there for the labor and delivery."

Arizona again added her two cents while glaring at her husband, "Well, she did do all of the work. Especially without drugs."

Alex smiled. He knew he could never say this to Arizona if they weren't hiding their relationship from Callie and Cristina. "And I would remind her that going drug free was her choice. Hell, I was trying to get her to take them. Especially after the first eighteen hours of labor. It would have made my life easier if she was drugged up."

Arizona scowled at her husband, "Right because while _your_ wife was giving birth to _your _daughter, it was all about how comfortable you were!"

Alex laughed he knew that he and Arizona were just messing with each other and having fun with their secret game. Callie and Cristina again sat back and watched their bickering, intrigued by their close relationship they obviously had. Alex decided to appease Arizona and he turned to Callie. "Most people don't see my wife in her because my features are so prominent – my chin, nose… but to me all I can see is my wife in my daughter." Alex traced his fingers over his daughter's brow, "She totally has her eyes. And once she decides to stop looking like a ninety-year-old man and grow some hair, I'm pretty sure it's going to be my wife's dirty blonde color. When I first saw Della, even all covered in goop, screaming her lungs out and peeing on me as I held her for the first time, it was like falling in love with my wife all over again."

Cristina pretended to choke herself, "Did you really just say that, Alex? Wow, you've gone soft. Is this what having a kid turns you into? Even Callie and Meredith didn't go this soft with their kids."

"You're just trying to suck up," Arizona cut Cristina off and responded with her own sarcasm and an eye roll all the while she smiled at her husband.

Callie agreed, "Yeah. Totally trying to suck up. Too bad you're wasting it on us."

Alex smirked and winked at his wife, "I'm sure Arizona will be sure to tell her all about it." Alex looked down at the baby in his arms who was starting to fall asleep, "We should get you back, Della Bella. I think it's snack time then nap time for you."

Callie and Cristina sat and watched them run away from the playground. They didn't understand what had just happened.

"Now do you understand when I said something weird was going on with them?" Cristina asked.

Callie nodded while Cristina continued to wonder aloud.

"They're acting like an old married couple. I can't figure out what they're keeping from us. But they're totally hiding something."

"They're just very close friends. You don't go to Africa for four years with someone and not become family. I think they just don't know how to act around us," Callie thought aloud.

She didn't want to put what she really thought into words. There was a nagging thought at the back of her mind that told her that the baby was Arizona's. Arizona was so natural with the baby. Her eyes lit up when she looked at her, spoke about her and when she held the baby she looked happier than Callie had ever seen her. It was impossible to be true. Arizona was gay. There's no way she was married to a man and had a baby with him. It was simply impossible.

Callie was lost in her own thoughts when Cristina shook her head, "Nope. There's still something more to it. We're missing something. We need to find the wife."

Callie agreed. They needed to find the wife because if they found the wife then there was no way that the baby was Arizona's.

Cristina's pager blared and she noticed she was being paged to Abraham's room. Maybe she'd get some insight after all.

**…**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Okay so this is a ridiculously long chapter for me. I couldn't find a good place to cut it off so I decided to just make it one big chapter which I figured no one would complain about. It's also pretty much all flashback. Oh and as to how everyone can be so oblivious to what is going on in front of their eyes - remember they have no reason to suspect that Arizona would ever be with a man. It's not even a possibility for them... at least not at the moment. Just to ward off the critics before they start asking for it - I don't write NC-17 so you'll have to use your imagination.

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

Cristina rushed to the room she was paged to – the room she'd been stalking for days now. She walked right in after she arrived and was surprised to see the room empty except for her boss, Teddy. There were toys strewn about and blankets discarded over chairs but there was no Alex, Arizona or mystery wife. There wasn't even a patient in the room. She had been looking forward to finding out more about what exactly was going on in the room but the stars were not aligned for her that afternoon.

"Oh good, you're here," Teddy stated as she looked up from her chart.

"What's up?"

"I've pushed Abe's surgery up from tomorrow afternoon to the morning. Can you cover my valve replacement that I have scheduled for nine?"

Cristina looked disgusted, "That's all you wanted?"

Teddy seemed distracted by her chart, "Uh, yeah?"

"I just thought that you might need my help with the Fontan procedure you're doing tomorrow…since you paged me here?"

Teddy chewed on the end of her pen, "We might want you to scrub in once we get the latest test results. Abe's monitors went a little crazy a few minutes ago so we sent him off for another EKG and MRI. If things still look abnormal, we'll want another pair of hands on standby. The valve replacement won't take you too long; you'd have plenty of time to be there for the most difficult part of the Fontan."

Cristina nodded and left the room. If nothing else, getting to observe the Fontan procedure would be worth the mundane valve replacement Teddy had pawned off on her.

**…**

Alex fluffed the pillow and placed it on the parent cot. "Sleepy time, Zo. You need to be well rested for tomorrow."

Arizona shook her head and pouted as she stood defiantly looking at the tiny bed. "Just so I can pace around the waiting room all day?" Arizona paused to glare at her husband, "I'm not one of the children."

This was not going to be easy for Alex. He moved to stand in front of Arizona and grabbed her hips. "Baby, you need to sleep. You promised me."

"I'm not tired," Arizona spoke as every other feature on her face said otherwise. She had dark circles under her eyes and her eyelids were getting heavy.

Alex stroked her cheek, "You're being more stubborn than our sons when I put peas in front of them."

"I'm just not tired, Alex," Arizona was steadfast in her refusal to sleep.

"I can get you something to make you sleepy."

Arizona shook her head again, "I don't want to be drugged if something happens overnight."

Alex pulled the blonde closer and slipped his hands under her shirt to rub up and down on her sides. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I know something else that always makes you tired."

Arizona smiled and pulled back while giving him a not so gentle punch to the kidney, "Alexander Michael Karev! We are not doing _that_ in the same room as our son. How can you even be thinking about sex right now?"

Alex winced as the blow landed. Kidney shots hurt and Arizona knew how to punch. After the pain subsided, he cocked his head to the side and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a guy," he said as if that explained it all. Arizona continued to stare at him as if she expected a better answer. "Dude, it's been nine weeks so of course I'm thinking about it every second that I'm not worried about our kids and you."

"Has it really been that long?"

"You don't remember? If I recall correctly, and I do, it was one of your last ditch efforts to 'evict the parasite who had overstayed her welcome.'" Alex mimicked his wife's annoyed tone from that night.

Arizona rolled her eyes as she recalled the very difficult attempt at being intimate at forty-one weeks pregnant.

Alex pulled Arizona into his body and nuzzled into the crook of her neck. "And if I recall correctly it did help. The little peanut started to make her appearance later that night. I promise it will make you sleepy. _I_ will make you sleepy." Alex continued to pepper Arizona's neck with kisses as he stopped to pay attention to a particularly sensitive spot just below her ear.

Arizona couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips. "Mmmm… are we really going to have sex the night before our son has major heart surgery?"

Alex moved his hands upward and let his hands rest just under the curve of her breasts and murmured in her ear as he gently bit on the lobe, "Abraham would really appreciate it if his mother was well rested before his major heart surgery."

Arizona moved her neck to give Alex more room to work, "Please don't talk about our kids while you're trying to get into my pants. It's really killing everything you're trying to do to my neck right now."

"Noted," Alex pulled back and grabbed his cell phone. He quickly texted his sister-in-law who he knew was still in the hospital. He knew Arizona wouldn't leave Abe alone in the room and they obviously couldn't do dirty things in the same room as their son while he slept. "Em will be here in less than five minutes."

"Oh god," Arizona covered her face with her hands. "You totally told her what we were going to go do, didn't you?"

"We're married and we have three kids, baby. I think she knows her big sister has sex."

Emily knocked softly before entering the room. She didn't know if her sister and brother-in-law had gotten a jump start on their night's activities. She plopped herself on the bedside chair and shooed them out of the room. "You're breaking up my Angry Birds time for your booty call, so go on, get outta here. And don't think I won't tell the boys about this when they are old enough."

Alex grabbed Arizona's hand and dragged her out of the room. He didn't want her to rethink this decision. Nine weeks was a very long time. It was three weeks longer than necessary after the birth of their daughter but they had simply had too much going on with Abraham's turn for the worse to even think about sex. He was more than ready and if it would also help in getting Arizona to sleep that night – well that was just an added bonus.

**…**

"I feel like an intern again. Really, we're going to have sex in an on-call room?" Arizona sighed as Alex closed the door behind him and locked it.

Alex took no time in stripping off his shirt, "It's not like we have your office to use here."

Alex looked to see Arizona sitting timidly on the edge of the bed. He could see the thoughts whirling around in her head. He moved to sit next to her and grasped her hand in his. "It's ten o'clock at night. Everyone we know is gone for the day. No one saw us come in here and no one will see us leave. I promise."

Alex leaned in closer. He pushed her hair back off of her shoulder opening up her neck to him again. He knew he needed to get Arizona back in the mood and quickly before she changed her mind. He went straight for her money spot below the ear.

Arizona gasped, enjoying the attention that had awakened long dormant desires and wrapped her arms around his waist as he moved her back on the bed. "I think this is the longest we've ever gone without. It's going to feel like our first time all over again."

Alex who had moved on to remove Arizona's top stopped as it was bunched under her breasts. "Mmm," he mumbled as he licked his way from her navel to her breasts, "now that was a good day."

Arizona's head fell back against the pillow as she enjoyed the attention her chest was receiving. "It was. Took you long enough to finally give in to me."

Alex pulled Arizona's top completely off of her and started working on her pants. "Good thing I finally came to my senses."

**…**

_They'd been married for three months. Three months of touching, kissing, holding. Three months of confusing and conflicting feelings for Arizona Robbins. Her head and her heart were discombobulated all the time. Her heart told her to go for it while her head questioned her sanity. She had over thirty-three years of never having feelings for men and three months of wanting to rip the clothes off of one. She didn't know what to do anymore. She'd always appreciated the beauty in the male form but what she was feeling now was way more than appreciation._

_Arizona was tired of being conflicted, tired of wondering what she wanted from Alex. It wasn't fair to her and it wasn't fair to Alex. For the last two months they'd moved their affections from only in public to also include their private time. They would cuddle on the couch while watching television which would occasionally even turn into a tame make out session. Arizona couldn't remember the last time she woke up when she wasn't wrapped up in Alex's strong arms. She played it off that she was just making their relationship appear real. It was just pretending for the sake of the adoption. But was it really pretending if there was no one around to witness it? As she finished her work for that day she came to a decision. She would proposition Alex for sex. If she liked it then she was what? Bi? Fluid? Isn't that what the hipsters were calling it these days? She spent the afternoon researching the Kinsey Scale and wondering just where she was now falling on it. Arizona let out a deep breath as she headed out of her office in search of her husband so that they could make their way home._

_Arizona and Alex smiled as they walked into their home and were greeted by their nanny, Tamanda, who had nothing but a glowing report to give about the boys' day. They said their goodbyes and went about their nightly routine. Alex would give the boys their bath while Arizona got dinner ready. They had started the boys on solid foods and it was a nightly battle discovering just what passed their baby taste buds and what got refused in dramatic fashion. They each took a baby to feed, switching daily so they could get quality time with both of their babies, and informed them about their days. There was no baby talk in their household. Arizona was a firm believer that talking to babies like adults is great stimulation for their brains. After snuggle time the boys were put to bed after a bedtime story._

_Alex turned out the light in the nursery and made his way back to the living room where he watched Arizona make their dinner. Something was off with Arizona that night. She was quiet. She always had something to talk about unless she was worried. When she was worried she shut down and refused to let anyone in. They had been having a quiet month – the boys were thriving at home and the government appeared to be leaving them alone so he didn't know what could possibly have her so upset._

_After a very quiet dinner the pair settled onto the couch. Arizona was pretending to be reading a magazine with her feet in Alex's lap while Alex was watching one of three television channels in English. He settled on an episode of Law and Order. Even in Africa it seemed as though some version of the show was always on the television. His hands were absentmindedly rubbing Arizona's calves when he felt her pull them up into her as she moved to sit up. Alex turned to look at her as he felt her eyes burning holes into him._

"_What? Do I have something on my face?" He questioned as he wiped his hand over his mouth._

"_I want to have sex," she blurted out._

"_What?" Alex turned to face her fully, shocked at the words that just came out of her mouth._

_Arizona moved herself onto his lap and began kissing his neck. She decided if she was going to do this she was going to go all out. "I want to have sex. With you." She emphasized each word with a kiss._

"_Whoa. Whoa. Arizona. Stop," he demanded with a harsher tone than he intended when Arizona wouldn't stop attacking his neck._

_Arizona pulled herself off of him and tucked her arms around her knees. "Sorry. I thought you'd want it. You're a guy and we've been here awhile now and unless you've got some side piece I know you're not getting any anywhere else. I guess I just misread the signals," Arizona rambled. She was clearly embarrassed at having been turned down by Alex._

_Alex was confused. He had no idea where this had even come from. Sure they'd been making out like teenagers occasionally but never did it go any further than kissing. There had been no touching with hands of any kind and now all of a sudden she wants sex._

"_Arizona. Look at me," Alex moved his finger to lift Arizona's chin to meet his eyes. "I want you. What guy wouldn't want you? You're amazingly hot. I don't know what is going on with us but this is not the way to figure it out." Alex continued to gaze into the blue eyes that were filling with unshed tears, "Please tell me what you're thinking."_

_Arizona sighed as she sank into his arms as Alex ran his hands through her hair. "I've just been so confused."_

"_Can you give me more than that, Zo?"_

"_You confuse me," Arizona gazed intently at her hands, anything to not make eye contact with the man next to her. "You make me feel… I don't know," she threw her hands up and sighed. "I know that I like it when we kiss. I really like it. And that confuses me because I've never had these feelings for a guy before."_

"_Okay…"_

"_I just figured that if we had sex I would know."_

"_Know what?"_

_Arizona looked at Alex for the first time since bearing her burdens to him, "Know if these feelings I have for you are real."_

_Alex tightened his grip around Arizona's shoulders. He was also confused by his feelings towards his wife. "Sex isn't the answer," Alex said. Even he couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. He was turning down sex. He didn't want to be an experiment for her. He didn't want to risk their relationship with each other and their relationship with their children._

_The pair sat in silence as they were both lost in their own thoughts about what the answer was if it wasn't sex. The television played softly in the background. Alex could hear the familiar "cling cling" of Law and Order indicating that they had been sitting in silence for at least a half hour._

"_I'm going to take you on a date," Alex stated after a lot of thought._

_Arizona turned to look at him, "Okay…"_

"_And after an acceptable number of dates… if you still want, we'll have sex. Because we both want it and not because you want to figure out if you like boys."_

"_Alex," Arizona sighed. "But I don't want to lead you on. What if I don't like boy-sex? I don't want to hurt you if things don't work out."_

"_Have you ever used a dildo?"_

"_What does this have to do with anything?"_

"_Have you ever had someone use a strap-on on you?"_

_Arizona rolled her eyes, "Yes."_

"_Did you like it?" Alex could see Arizona rolling her eyes again. "Arizona, just answer me. Was it good for you?"_

"_Yes," Arizona's face was bright red. She had just propositioned this man for sex yet she was embarrassed to talk about her former sex life with him._

"_Do you like spending time with me? Kissing me?_

"_Again, what does this have to do with anything?"_

"_Answer the damn question, woman."_

"_Yes."_

_Alex lifted Arizona onto his lap and wrapped his hands underneath her ass holding her firmly in place. "Let's recap:, you like me. You've liked having sex with a fake dick before. I like you. I have a real dick. I don't see where this can go wrong?" Alex captured Arizona's lips in a searing kiss. He pulled back to look into her eyes. "I promise you, I'm way better with the equipment than anyone else you've been with. I have a lot more practice."_

_Arizona stared into his eyes. She was still confused. She really didn't want to mess up their relationship._

_Alex could sense her uneasiness. "Anything that happens with us, it won't be because you don't like the sex. Because you already have feelings for me and those aren't going to go away because of bad sex. The rest of it… any relationship can go bad. I can't promise that ours won't. I can say that I don't think that it will but there are no guarantees in life. We both know that. But if it does go bad and that's a big if, I can promise you that we'll always be best friends and we'll definitely always be in this whole parenting thing together."_

"_When did you get so good at the speeches, Karev?" Arizona took in his facial expression. His eyes were telling the truth, she could always tell when he was lying. He looked just as unsure as she was but she knew he believed in what he was saying. Arizona paused, "So about this date?"_

_Alex's face lit up when he realized she was taking him up on the offer. "A real date. One where we don't do the cooking and we're not interrupted by crying babies. We get dressed up and I bring you flowers and tell you how pretty you are. Then I'll walk you home and nervously stand at your door as I try to decide if I'm going to slip you some tongue when I kiss you goodnight."_

_Arizona gave her first genuine smile of the night. "I'd like that."_

"_I'll talk to Tamanda tomorrow to see what night she can stay late," Alex reciprocated the smile the blonde was giving her. They continued to smile at each other like lovesick teenagers until one of the babies demanded their attention._

**…**

_Three days later Alex stood outside his own home with a bouquet of daisies in his hand. He knocked lightly on the door and ran his hand through his short hair as he waited. The door flung open revealing a flustered Arizona with wet hair, barefoot, half dressed with a baby on her hip. Alex bit his lip and refrained from making any smart ass comments about her appearance._

"_Why are you knocking?" Arizona huffed as she took in the sight of her husband knocking on his own door._

_Alex smirked, "I'm picking you up for our date." Alex leaned in and stole a kiss from her shocked face. "These are for you," he offered the bouquet and traded the flowers for the fussy baby._

"_Thank you. Give me five minutes. Someone," Arizona nodded her head toward Abraham, "decided to have a food fight over dinner so I had to take another shower."_

_Arizona scampered off to their bedroom to finish getting dressed as Alex lifted the tiny boy who was still covered in yogurt up over his head. "Throwing food is fun, buddy. I'll give you that – but only do it to your brother. Not your Mama. Okay? Girls don't like that sort of thing." Alex moved to deposit the baby in the nursery where he was greeted by Tamanda who was just finishing Eli's bath._

_Tamanda gave a slight whistle when she saw her boss out of scrubs and dressed up in a polo and khaki pants. "About time you took the Mrs. out for a proper date, Mr. Alex."_

_Alex traded Abe for the freshly bathed Eli. "Better late than never," he said as he pressed a kiss to the baby's forehead. "You be good tonight little dude."_

"_We'll be fine, Mr. Alex. You two have fun and don't hurry home on our account," Tamanda shooed Alex from the nursery._

_Alex was waiting on the couch when Arizona appeared from the bedroom in a blue sundress before darting into the nursery to say goodnight to their children. They decided their date wouldn't be anything fancy. Just dinner at a local restaurant and maybe a trip to the local arcade for some good clean fun. It's not like there were a lot of options in Mzuzu._

_Alex's mouth dropped open when he saw Arizona walk out of the nursery. He'd seen her everyday for the last twenty plus months but something was different tonight. It was like seeing her for the first time. "You… uh…" he stuttered, "Amazing. I mean. You look amazing."_

_Arizona laughed. "Thank you, Mr. Karev. You don't look half bad yourself."_

_Alex held out his arm for the woman, "Ready to go Mrs. Karev?"_

_They enjoyed a wonderful dinner where they talked about everything except work and babies. Those topics were off limits. It amazed Arizona that she was still able to learn new things about her husband after living with him for so long. True to his word, Alex walked Arizona to her door and the two stood awkwardly as they tried to figure out how to end their date._

"_Thank you, Alex. I had a great time." Arizona leaned against the door to their house._

_Alex placed his hands on Arizona's hips and drew her closer. He licked his lips as he stared at hers. "Maybe we can do it again sometime?"_

"_I'd like that."_

"_Good night Arizona." Alex leaned in to place a chaste kiss on her lips and was surprised when Arizona grabbed the back of his head and pulled him impossibly closer to her and deepened their kiss._

"_Night Alex." Arizona turned around and went inside._

_Alex waited until Tamanda exited the house to enter wanting it to feel more date-like if he didn't follow his date into the house they shared together. He tiptoed into the nursery to see his children before entering the bedroom to find Arizona already asleep in bed. It was an unconventional dating situation. Dating your own wife. Going on a first date and then sleeping in the same bed that night – and it not being a one night stand. Alex changed for bed and joined his wife in dreamland. Their first date was a success and both dreamed about what the future would hold._

**…**

_It was another week before they could go on their second date. Their second date ended a bit steamier than the first with some making out on the couch before bed. They both stopped it before it went too far, knowing that they both weren't ready for more._

_The next Saturday both Arizona and Alex had the day off from the clinic. It was the start of summer in Mzuzu and Alex wanted to take advantage of it by having a family day at the beach nearby in Lake Nyasa._

_Alex felt his mouth go dry as he watched Arizona strip off her cover up dress after they arrived at the beach. He wasn't sure he had ever seen a one piece bathing suit look so sexy. He had to grab the beach bag to cover himself with so Arizona wouldn't see exactly how happy she made him. Arizona did notice but didn't say anything. Alex wasn't fooling anyone with his bag placement. Arizona couldn't help but stare at Alex as he walked into the water in an attempt to cool off. The beads of water dripping down his chest and into his shorts were too much for her to handle. She had to get her mind off of her husband's sexiness. Focusing on the babies that were currently trying to eat sand was a good distraction. By the time Alex returned Arizona had created an impressive sand castle that Abe was in the middle of destroying causing Eli to cry in outrage._

"_He's our own personal Godzilla," Alex commented as he plucked the destructive baby into his lap._

_Arizona laughed, "He is definitely the troublemaker. I'm always surprised at how different they can be when they are exact carbon copies of each other."_

"_Did you just say that we have a good twin and an evil twin? Way to give ours sons a complex, Robbins."_

"_Not evil – troublemaker. There's a difference. Want to take them and wash them off? They're getting cranky. I think it's naptime."_

_Their trip to the beach was short but the change in scenery was just what they all needed. "I think the sun wore them out. They fell asleep as soon as I put them down," Alex said as he sunk down into the couch next to Arizona._

_Arizona looked up from the journal she was reading, "Good. Maybe they'll give us a few hours of peace today." She was exhausted from the past week. The boys were teething and going through a growth spurt which did not give their parents much time to rest. "Want to watch a movie?"_

_Alex moved to the kitchen, "Sure. You pick one out. I'll get the popcorn."_

_Arizona flipped through their combined blu-ray collection. Arizona swore her mother sent her every recent blu-ray in her monthly care packages. She appreciated it on nights like this when she didn't want to watch Field of Dreams, one of Alex's favorite movies, for the thousandth time. She settled on The Hangover; she knew it was one that she and Alex would both enjoy even if she didn't plan on paying that much attention to the movie._

_It only took twenty minutes for the couple on the couch to abandon watching the film. It all started when they both reached in the bowl of popcorn at the same time and their hands brushed. The next thing Alex knew, Arizona was pushing him back on the couch and lying on top of him. In the past few weeks he pulled back and let Arizona set the pace for the physical side of their relationship. He didn't want to put any pressure on her. Alex was definitely turned on by dominant Arizona._

_Things quickly got heated on the couch. Alex was trying to hold back. Trying not to push Arizona but when she grabbed his hands and put them on her chest he couldn't refuse that offer. Before he knew it they were both topless and Arizona was grinding her hips into his._

_Alex broke away from Arizona's mouth. "You have to stop or I won't be able to control myself anymore," he panted._

"_What if I don't want you to control yourself? We've waited long enough don't you think?" Arizona questioned with a glint in her eye as she rolled her hips into Alex's again._

"_Are you sure?" he asked as he stilled her movements, gazing into the deep blue eyes above him._

_Arizona nodded, "Totally sure."_

_Alex wasted no time in sitting up and taking Arizona with him. He moved them to the bedroom and shut the door._

**…**

"_Are you sure I didn't hurt you?" Alex asked for the third time that evening as he watched Arizona who was clad only in his boxers and a sports bra, try to get the last of the mushed peas into the twins' mouths._

_Arizona glared at him, "Again, I would think you would have gathered from my vocal encouragement that you did not hurt me."_

_Alex held his hands up as he moved to take Abe from his high chair before the peas that had missed his mouth and settled on the tray in front of him became a weapon in the tiny boy's hands. Alex kissed Abe's cheek and swayed with him gently as Arizona finished feeding Eli dinner. He couldn't believe how perfect his life was at that moment. He had two kids who had survived against all odds and a beautiful wife who he had just made love to for the first time hours before._

"_You're staring, Karev," Arizona noticed as she wiped Eli's face clean._

_Alex leaned down to steal a kiss from her, "We're married. It's allowed."_

_They spent the rest of the night much like every other night. Playing with the babies, laughing together, watching television together – being a family. Alex kept waiting for the awkwardness to come. There was always awkwardness after sleeping with someone for the first time. And sleeping with someone for the first time that had previously never been with a man, he expected that awkwardness to be at an all time high._

_It wasn't until they went to bed that night that the awkwardness appeared. Alex lay in bed, resting on his pillows waiting for Arizona to come to bed. They hadn't really discussed what happened in detail besides his pestering her if he hurt her. He could only go on what happened during the sex. She was right that she was indeed vocal and encouraging of him. She seemed to be enjoying it. He thought she came but with women you could never be sure if they were faking._

_Arizona exited the bathroom and immediately went into their normal position of her lying with her head on his chest. She could feel how fast his heart was beating._

"_We need to talk about it," Alex whispered quietly._

"_Again, I promise you, you did not hurt me."_

"_No, I meant we need to talk about more than that," Alex paused. "Did you…"_

"_Alex, just spit it out." Arizona knew what Alex wanted to know but she enjoyed seeing Alex nervous – it didn't happen often so she found it endearing when it did._

"_Did you enjoy it?" Alex asked shyly. He hadn't been timid about sex since he was a teenager but something about Arizona brought it out in him._

_Arizona drummed her fingers on Alex's chest and replied meekly, "Yeah."_

"_Yeah?" Alex glanced down at the ball of hair covering his chest. "Why do you sound so unsure?_

"_It's just so confusing, Alex. Put yourself in my position. I was a gold star lesbian for heavens' sake and now I'm having sex with a man and really liking it. I mean really liking it. I just don't know what to think."_

_Alex smirked. So it was good for her after all. Even after being out of practice for over a year – he still had it. He attempted to soothe her by rubbing circles on her back. "That's your problem, Zo. Too much thinking. Stop thinking and just let things happen. I'm pretty sure you weren't thinking when you were dry humping me on the couch."_

_Arizona blushed, "Oh I was thinking. I was thinking about how hot you looked at the beach all covered in water."_

"_Who knew you could be such a horndog?"_

"_Hey," Arizona slapped his chest. "It's been a long time. A long, long, long time."_

"_Preaching to the choir," Alex laughed._

"_You know what I'm thinking right now?" Arizona asked she looked up shyly at him._

_Alex brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, "That I'm the best man you've ever slept with?"_

_Arizona rolled her eyes, "Ha. Ha."_

"_You know it's the truth, baby."_

_Arizona smiled because it was the truth. It was probably the truth if she included women in the statement as well._

_Arizona bit her lower lip as she drank in her husband who was lying in bed with a goofy grin on his face. He looked so relaxed and happy. Alex could feel the mood of the room shift to a more serious tone as he gazed up at Arizona._

"_What are you thinking?" Alex asked. Arizona hesitated to answer the question, "You know you can tell me anything. No judgment here. Especially not after today."_

_Arizona continued to bite her lip as she willed herself to tell him what she was really thinking. She didn't want to scare him off. She didn't want to be one of those girls that professed her love for a boy after they had sex. She knew she didn't need to do that to keep Alex around. After that afternoon with how safe and happy he made her, he deserved to know what she was feeling. "I'm thinking…" Arizona drew it out and let out a puff of air. "I'm thinking that I love you."_

"_I love you too."_

_Arizona shook her head. "No. I love you, love you Alex. Like how a wife should love her husband."_

_Alex gave her a small smile, "I know. I love you, love you too. Like how a husband should love his wife."_

_Arizona's smile grew even wider. Alex could swear it lit up the dark room. Arizona moved so that she was lying fully atop Alex. "Good. Now that that is settled. Can we do it again?" Arizona asked with a wink._

_Alex played dumb, "Do what again?"_

_Arizona grabbed the pillow behind Alex's head and proceeded to beat him with it. He retaliated by tickling her sides and pinning her to the bed so that he could give her what she wanted._

**…**

"Way better than our first time," Alex commented as he put his shirt back on, looking over his shoulder at the blonde who was tugging on her pants.

"Probably because I'm not an infant when it comes to boy-sex anymore. I've got my own skills now."

"I can't believe you still call it boy-sex," Alex turned to fully appreciate his wife as she was putting her shirt back on.

"That's what it is, babe." Arizona was smoothing out her hair trying to make it look like she hadn't just had sex in case they ran into anyone when they left the confines of the on-call room.

Alex wrapped Arizona up from behind. He moved her hair to lavish her neck with kisses. "Did it work? Are you sleepy?"

"If you keep doing that, I won't be sleepy for long." Arizona admonished as she turned in his arms to plant a firm kiss on his lips. "Take me to bed. I promise I will try to sleep now."

Alex opened the door to the on-call room and led them out of the room. "I see how it is. You're just using me for the sex. Once you get what you want, you just want to go to sleep." Alex commented as they exited the room.

Arizona playfully slapped his shoulder, "I don't see you complaining about it."

The two made their way back to Abe's room to try to get some sleep before the big day tomorrow. The couple was so into each other that they didn't notice Mark Sloan who had been sitting at the nurses' desk waiting on his girlfriend to meet him for his own late night rendezvous. Mark watched the pair leave the on-call room. He noticed their disheveled look and was curious as to what the two pediatric surgeons had been doing in the room. He had been sitting at the nurses' station for at least twenty minutes and didn't see them enter so they had been in there for awhile. As they walked by him, oblivious to his presence, Mark overheard their conversation. Once they were out of earshot Mark looked around to see if anyone else was in the vicinity and had witnessed what he did. He wouldn't believe it if he didn't see it for himself. Alex Karev and Arizona Robbins just had sex in an on-call room – together. He wouldn't have believed it even after seeing it if he hadn't overheard their conversation. His conscious plagued him. Normally he was all about spreading gossip, but this gossip had the potential to really hurt his best friend he was at a loss. He hadn't figured out what to do when his girlfriend appeared in front of him and pulled him toward the same room that Robbins and Karev had just exited.

**…**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Not super happy with this chapter but I wanted to get an update out. It sets up what a lot of you have been waiting for. Thanks for all the continued reviews. They make my day. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

…

Arizona managed to sleep until five the next morning when she woke up wide awake with a belly full of nerves. Alex was just happy that she managed to get some sleep. It was better than nothing.

Instead of waking the rest of her sleeping family that early in the morning, she decided to go for a walk and attempt to clear her head for the day to come. After awhile of walking around aimlessly, Arizona was sitting on a bench outside the hospital. The sun was starting to rise. She was mesmerized by the beauty of the world. Watching the sunrise was one of her favorite things to do in Malawi. Sunrises meant new beginnings. Everything that had happened the day before was over and she had a new day to help fix the tiny humans of Malawi. Today's sunrise didn't bring the peacefulness that she was used to; it brought anxiety and worry about what would happen that day. Arizona twirled a cigarette in her fingers as she leaned against the bench. It was unlit and she had no intention of lighting it but it still felt good to hold in her hand. Her mind was reeling as she thought about her son's upcoming surgery. It was a difficult procedure and there was no guarantee that Teddy would even be able to complete it due to the fragility of his cardiovascular system. This was the last stop before a transplant. If today didn't go well, there was nothing left to do but wait for a donor heart. A wait that Abe might not survive.

"Smoking causes cancer," Arizona heard a male voice bark from behind her. She didn't have the energy to turn her head to find the source of the voice. The emotional toll of the day had left her drained. After a moment, the person behind the voice made their presence known and sat next to her on the bench. "Smoking causes cancer, you know," Mark repeated himself.

"I'm not going to smoke it," Arizona dutifully replied.

"You okay?" Mark asked after taking in the ragged appearance of the blonde on the bench. He already knew the answer; his girlfriend had told him about the upcoming surgery.

Arizona shook her head no. "Just trying to psyche myself up for the day."

"Do you want me to get someone for you? Alex? Teddy?"

"No, I'm fine. I just needed some air."

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for a beat. Arizona didn't understand what Mark wanted from her. She didn't know why he was still sitting with her. Her body language made it clear that she wasn't in the mood to talk with anyone.

Not being able to take the silence any longer, Arizona engaged Mark in a dialogue. She figured if she talked to him then maybe he would leave her alone. "How have you been, Mark?"

Mark rubbed the stubble on his chin, "I can't complain."

"How did you get my address?" Arizona questioned. It was a question she had wanted the answer to for years and now that she had Mark alone it was the perfect opportunity to ask him.

Mark paused thoughtfully as he thought about the cards that he would mail Arizona. A thank you card – one every year on Sofia's birthday. A thank you to the woman for saving his little girl's life. "Teddy."

Arizona looked at him shocked that her best friend would sell her out.

"I had to do a lot of begging. Even then she wouldn't really give it to me. She'd watch me copy it directly onto the envelope and then would take it away so that I couldn't remember it. Each year I'd have to beg again." Mark turned to look at the blonde who was in obvious pain, "I didn't think you'd even open them."

"It took me four months to open the first one," Arizona admitted as she twirled the cigarette through her fingers again. "Thank you for them."

Mark put his hand on Arizona's knee. "I'm the one that should be thanking you. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have a daughter. You didn't have to do what you did. No one would have blamed you."

Tears welled up in Arizona's eyes as she thought back to Sofia's birth. As she thought about the scene in the operating room as she watched her girlfriend dying on the table and then to watch the baby girl struggle for life. "I wasn't going to let my daughter die without fighting for her."

Arizona and Mark let the words hang between them. Mark surprisingly was always on Arizona's side after Callie broke up with her. He didn't understand how Callie could blame the woman who saved their daughter's life. He was there in the OR and saw their daughter being brought back to life by Arizona. He could never thank her enough.

"My girlfriend's not having a great day either," Mark said nonchalantly like he was talking about the weather.

Arizona turned to him with a confused look on her face. She wondered why he was bringing up his girlfriend. Talk about subject change.

Mark continued, "She has to perform surgery on her godson today." Mark glanced at Arizona to see the look of acknowledgement in her eyes. There could only be one person in the hospital that had to perform surgery on their own godson that day. "She's scared she's going to let her best friend down. Let her godson down."

"Mark…" Arizona started to say before she was interrupted.

"Arizona, you fight for those that you love. I saw it when you fought for Callie and Sofia. Now stop sitting out here feeling sorry for yourself and go back inside and be with your family and fight for them." Mark stood up after finishing his short speech. He started to walk off without letting Arizona acknowledge what he had just said and revealed to him when he felt Arizona's eyes burning on his backside. He turned around to see her staring at him in wonderment. He grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze, "We all have secrets, Blondie." He dropped her hand and walked into the hospital to start his own day.

Arizona slowly exhaled a breath as she sank back down into the bench. Her mind was reeling from Mark's visit. She knew that Teddy wouldn't have told him anything. She trusted that woman with her life – her kids' lives. Somehow Mark put the pieces together. Not only was she confused about what and how Mark figured everything out, she also couldn't believe that her best friend was dating Mark Sloan and didn't tell her.

After taking a moment to compose herself, Arizona walked back into the hospital to find her husband who was no doubt still half asleep by their son's hospital bed. She wandered past Teddy's office and noticed the light was on. Teddy must have come into work early. Arizona lightly rapped on the door and entered the office.

"Hey," Arizona said meekly as she walked into the room. Teddy was sitting at her desk staring at her computer. The cardio surgeon was going over every nuance of Abraham's case so that she was prepared for everything when she opened up his chest.

Upon hearing her best friend's voice Teddy tore her gaze from the computer. "Hey. How are you?"

Arizona sat in the chair opposite Teddy's desk. She ran her hands through her hair and shrugged her shoulders. "I've been better."

"I'm going over everything right now. For the tenth time this morning. I'm very confident, Arizona."

Arizona leaned back in the chair. "So I just got a pep talk from Mark Sloan. He told me about how his girlfriend was going to do surgery on her godson today."

Teddy's face fell from shock and she got defensive. "I didn't tell him anything, I swear."

"Girlfriend?" Arizona teased her friend.

Teddy shook her head. "We're taking things slowly. No one knows… well except you now. And I swear I didn't tell him anything. He started asking me all these questions about you and Alex last night. He saw you two come out of the on-call room together," Teddy raised her eyebrows at her friend. "Then when I told him how I had to be up early for this case he questioned why I was getting in four hours before my first surgery for the day. When I told him it was because it was my godson. He put the pieces together," Teddy rambled without taking a breath.

"It's okay, Teds. I trust you. And oddly enough, I trust Mark. There are more important things right now than worrying about our secrets."

Teddy moved from around the desk and pulled Arizona into a standing position so that she could wrap her up in a tight hug. "Let's go see Abe. It's almost time to start pre-op anyway."

The best friends quietly made their way to the little boy's room. Once they entered Abe's room, Arizona launched herself into Alex's arms. It was the only place she felt safe anymore. The only place where things seemed right in the world. They watched Teddy listen to Abe's heart and make notes in his chart. She informed them that everything was still on time for the surgery and that she would be back shortly before nine o'clock to take him back. Alex and Arizona spent next couple of hours watching their son's chest rise and fall as he breathed. They listened to the steady beeping of the monitors that tracked his heart rate. As long as they could hear the beeping their world was still okay.

"He'll be okay," Arizona said more to herself than to her husband.

Alex squeezed her hand tight and repeated her words, "He'll be okay." Because he had to be okay. Losing their son wasn't an option.

…

There is nothing fun about hospital waiting rooms. The televisions are always on some daytime television show that no one watches. Not that it matters because the volume is so low that it cannot be heard. The magazines strewn about the chairs are at least three months old and are so obscure that no one wants to read them anyway. The chairs are stiff and hurt your back after an hour of sitting in them. The quietness of the waiting room is unnerving. No one speaks. If they do speak it is only at a whisper – no one dares to speak at a normal tone. Everyone is consumed by their own thoughts. When someone walks in the waiting room all eyes dart to the intruder, looking to see if it is a doctor or if it is simply another person to wait. When a doctor does enter the room, all eyes try to decipher if they are coming to give good news or bad news.

As doctors, Alex and Arizona know all too well how things can go in the operating room. They know how easily things can go wrong in the operating room. They know that a simple routine surgery can easily result in death due to unforeseen complications. For these reasons, they are the worst people to have sitting in a hospital waiting room. They can't focus on anything but the negative and what can go wrong.

Arizona glanced at her watch. It was only nine-thirty in the morning. It hadn't even been one hour since she gave her son a kiss goodbye and watched her sister and best friend wheel him past the double doors and into surgery. She still had many more hours of waiting to go. If the surgery went perfectly it would take at least five hours. Arizona sighed as she continued pacing around the room. Minutes were passing by so slowly for her. She hated hospital waiting rooms. She hated them as a doctor because that is where she normally had to give bad news. She had to walk into the room and tell the parents that she couldn't save their child. She had to watch someone's world crumble because she was the one that had to tell them that their loved one didn't survive. She hated them as a parent because of her experiences in waiting rooms as a surgeon. One of her worst fears was having her child's doctor walk into the waiting room and give her the look. The look that she knew all too well; one of empathy and regret. She dreaded having to hear another doctor tell her that her child didn't survive. Unfortunately, she had a lot of experience as a parent in waiting rooms. After almost three years of parenting two micro-preemies she'd spent more time than she'd like there. Combined both of her sons had undergone over twelve different surgeries. Eli's problems stemmed more from his intestines and bowels and Abe's were mainly in his cardiovascular system. Five of those surgeries Alex or Arizona performed or assisted in, but once they were officially adopted, Alex and Arizona turned over the care of their children to their colleagues. It was too difficult for them to operate on their own children and they relegated themselves to the waiting room.

Today was surgery number thirteen. It was also the most dangerous surgery Abraham had undergone since he was nine months old. Arizona couldn't stop her mind from thinking about the odds. Thinking about everything that could go wrong. She couldn't stop the worrying. Days like this made her hate being a doctor and knowing everything she did.

Alex hated it too. He also knew the odds and knew how difficult the surgery was going to be. He hated the fact that his child was in surgery and he also hated how much it hurt his wife. He couldn't let his worries show. He needed to be the strong one. He needed to be the rock for Arizona and for the rest of his family. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she wore a hole in the carpet in front of him as she paced back and forth. Abe's surgery had only just started and Arizona was already a nervous wreck. All of Alex's efforts to get her to sit and try to relax were rebuffed. It was especially hard because they couldn't be close. It was impossible as they were in the very public waiting room that many of their friends would be coming out of their own surgeries to inform their patients' families about the outcomes. It hurt his heart that he wasn't able to wrap her up in a bear hug and hold her close.

As the surgery hit the one hour mark both parents had settled into their normal coping mechanisms. Arizona was still pacing, taking short breaks to lean against the wall and attempt to compose herself. Alex sat in an uncomfortable chair with his head in his hands trying not to think about everything that could go wrong.

At the one and a half hour mark, Emily appeared in the waiting room. Arizona stopped pacing and Alex stood to meet her as Emily walked closer to them.

Emily immediately tried to put her family at ease, "He's fine." She noticed her sister and brother-in-law both let out a breath. "Teddy is about to start re-routing to the lung. She just wanted me to come and let you know that everything is going well because we won't be able to come give an update until we're almost done."

Arizona nodded her head, "Good. Good. Thanks."

Emily gave her sister a meek smile and rubbed her arm. "He's going to be fine, Zona. I won't let anything happen to him." Emily pulled Arizona into a hug before she turned to leave the waiting room.

Alex turned to look at Arizona who was about to start pacing again. He could see that she needed some support so he reached out to her. He brought her in a hug so tight she was surprised he didn't break one of her ribs. "He's strong, baby. I promise he'll be okay," Alex whispered into her ear. Arizona relaxed into her husband and allowed him to support her weight. He held her tight for a few minutes before releasing her. "I'm going to go grab a coffee. Want anything?"

Arizona shook her head. She couldn't imagine anything staying down.

"Be back soon," he said as he squeezed her hand and moved to leave the waiting room. Alex slowly made his way down to the cafeteria. In truth he didn't really need coffee but he needed to get out of the room. He needed to be able to breathe. The walls of the waiting room felt like they were closing in on him. He didn't want to be gone long but he knew he'd be able to support his wife better if he was able to get some of his anxiety out of his system.

…

Mark and Callie were walking into the cafeteria to grab a mid-morning snack when they bumped into Alex who was on a mission to get into the cafeteria. "Sorry," Alex mumbled after he bumped Callie as he passed her.

Callie turned around to watch him scurry out of the cafeteria. "What is up with him?" she asked Mark.

"Who knows," Mark gruffed as he grabbed a tray to load with food.

After getting some mid morning snacks and coffee, they went to sit with Cristina who was inhaling an early lunch. She was shoving in french fries and salad without taking time to breathe. As soon as Callie started to take a bite of her grapes, her pager went off and she had to settle for coffee only as her morning pick me up.

Callie entered the ER and was quickly directed to exam room three. She opened the door and found a young black boy sitting on the exam table with tears running down his face. He was holding his left arm that appeared to be three times its normal size. Sitting next to him on the table was an older white woman who was desperately trying to calm the little boy down.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Callie," she introduced herself to the crying boy on the table.

The woman next to the boy introduced herself, "Hi, doctor. This is my grandson Elijah and please call me Barbara."

"What seems to be the problem?" Callie asked as she put on a pair of sterile gloves and moved to take a look at the boy's hand. As soon as she got close to the hurt limb the boy wailed.

"I want my Daddy and Mama!" Eli pulled away as Barbara stroked his head. Eli was used to doctors but since both of his parents were doctors – most of his doctors he knew or had at least met in passing. Eli was not a fan of the stranger that was trying to hurt his already hurt hand.

Barbara looked at Callie sheepishly and gave her a small smile. "Sorry, his parents are taking care of his sick brother today."

Callie nodded, "Hey buddy. It's okay. I just need to take a look then we'll go take some pictures of your hand."

Callie again tried to move closer to the boy when he screamed again. "Gramma, please," Eli begged. "I want Daddy and Mama!"

"Maybe we should give him a little sedative?" Callie suggested as she pulled back so that the boy would calm down.

Barbara sighed. She didn't want to tear her daughter and son-in-law away from Abraham but she didn't want her grandson to be sedated unnecessarily. She knew his parents really wouldn't like that.

"No, no. Let me get one of them to come down. They're just upstairs with his brother anyway." Barbara said as she typed a quick text message to Alex. She knew Arizona would only freak out more if she messaged her that Eli was hurt.

Callie stayed in the exam room while they waited for a parent to show up. She worked on trying to make the little boy on the bed smile but between the pain from his hand and his need for having one of his parents there, Eli was having none of it. Luckily his grandmother had given him her cell phone so he was entertained with a cartoon.

Five minutes later, the exam room door opened and Callie looked at the man who entered in shock. She never expected Alex to be the little boy's father. Alex paid no attention to the doctor that was sitting on a stool next to the bed. His eyes went straight to his son.

"Daddy!" Eli cried when his father walked into the room.

Alex strode right up to his son and kissed the top of his head while pulling him into his body. "Eli! What happened, little dude?" Alex's eyes inspected the boy's body and saw what had to be the boy's chief complaint – his left arm.

"I felled," the little boy cried into his dad's chest.

Barbara spoke up from the chair in the corner of the room. "We were at the park playing on the monkey bars when he just fell off of them and onto the ground screaming in pain."

Eli wanted to clarify the story, "I was at the top, Daddy. Then my heart hurt so I felled." Eli pointed to his chest with his good hand as he finished.

"Freaky twin powers," Alex muttered under his breath.

Callie had been watching the scene with intrigue. Alex's history just kept getting more complicated each time she saw the younger surgeon. She cleared her throat and for the first time Alex noticed the orthopedic surgeon in the room. "Should we get a cardio consult too?" she asked Alex.

Alex shook his head, "No. No. His twin brother is upstairs having heart surgery right now. They feel each other's pain. It is really freaky."

Callie's mind went into overdrive putting together the pieces that were Alex's life. Eli's twin brother was upstairs having heart surgery. Alex and Arizona brought in a boy that needed heart surgery. Alex's son is that patient.

"I need to examine the arm now," Callie moved closer to Eli as she hoped Alex's presence would allow the boy to actually let her examine him. Callie spent a few minutes poking and prodding the small arm while Eli tried not to let the tears fall at the pain. "Definitely broken. We need to get x-rays to see if he needs surgery."

Alex cursed under his breath. The last thing he needed was two sons in surgery at the same time. He turned to look at his son, "Dr. Callie is going to go take pictures of your arm, okay bud?"

"Mama!" Eli cried not wanting to go anywhere with the strange doctor.

"Mama's with Abe right now," Alex tried to soothe his son.

"No, Mama!" Eli pouted.

Barbara could see the temper tantrum about to start. "Why don't I go switch places with my daughter?" she directed her question to Alex. "I can assume that you didn't tell her exactly where you were going when you left her upstairs?"

Alex sighed and shook his head. "I spilled my coffee and told her I was going to get more."

Barbara chuckled at her son-in-law's misfortune because she knew she was about to send a very angry Arizona down to deal with her husband and son. "Good thing you have to deal with her and not me." Barbara stood to say goodbye to Eli, "I'll see you soon, Eli. You promised you'd play Candyland with me later. I'm holding you to that." Barbara headed up to find her daughter after giving her grandson a kiss and her son-in-law a quick squeeze to his shoulder.

"So we're waiting for his mom before we go get x-rays?" Callie questioned.

Alex nodded and he sat back down next to Eli who had stopped crying once he heard his mother was going to come be with him. Alex wrapped his arm around Eli and waited for the storm that was about to enter the exam room.

…


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about how the Callie/Arizona confrontation played out but I wanted to get an update out before the busy weekend took over. Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter - I love all the feedback. Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

Arizona was pacing around the waiting room when she saw her mom enter the room. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice that Alex had been gone an awfully long time to just be getting coffee. Arizona stopped in her tracks as she saw her mother walk toward her. Her mother had no reason to be at the hospital that day. Arizona's mind immediately flashed to thoughts of another sick child. That was the only reason for her mother to be there. Barbara walked up to her daughter and quietly whispered to her. After a brief conversation, Arizona left the waiting room with her teeth clenched as she headed to the ER to find her lying husband and hurt child.

Some part of her realized that Alex was only looking out for her. Trying to protect her from more pain by not telling her that their other son was also in the hospital and injured. That rational part of her mind wasn't in control. Instead, Arizona was a worried mother with two children in the hospital at the same time. She tried to calm herself on the quick journey down to the exam room but that was impossible.

Arizona didn't bother knocking on the exam room door. She flung it open and her eyes immediately landed on her son who was leaning up against his father on the exam table. She rushed into the room and scooped her son into her arms and peppered his face with kisses, careful not to jostle his injured arm.

"Mama!" Eli cried into her hair as he was wrapped up in her arms. "I hurt Mama."

Arizona looked over Elijah's shoulder to make eye contact with Alex. "Going to get coffee? Really? Since when do you leave me in the dark when one of our kids is hurt?" She made sure she was using her calmest voice possible while chiding her husband after all she didn't want to scare Eli.

Alex started to explain himself but was quickly cut off, "Save it. You are in so much trouble, Alexander."

Arizona pulled out of the hug to take stock of her son's injuries. After all, he wasn't in the emergency room for no reason. "Eli bear, what hurts?"

"Arm. Ouchie. I felled," he whimpered with tears in his eyes. When Eli was sick all he wanted was his mother. She was the only one that could make him feel better and now that she was there he felt like he could finally let the pain out. Even though there was no genetic relationship between Eli and Arizona they couldn't be more alike and more bonded than if she had given birth to him herself.

Arizona's voice softened even more listening to the pain in the boy's voice, "Oh bubba, we're going to make you feel better soon."

"Who's the doctor?" Arizona directed her question to Alex, completely unaware of the doctor who was blending in with the wall behind her.

"That would be me," Callie replied as she pushed off the wall from where she had been watching the scene unfold in front of her. She had almost expected it to be Arizona that would enter the room as Eli's mother but expecting it didn't help the shock and hurt she felt at seeing her ex-girlfriend so clearly moved on in her life.

"Have you done x-rays?" Arizona swirled around to make eye contact with her son's doctor. She didn't have time to register the fact that Callie now knew about her family. The only thing that mattered at that moment was fixing her son and relieving his pain.

"No," Callie quickly answered the fretful mother. "Your son wouldn't let me do anything until you got down here."

"Well, let's get them done then so we can get him some pain relief." Arizona moved so that Alex could lift Eli into the wheelchair. "Dr. Callie is going to go take pictures of your arm, okay E?"

Elijah latched onto his mother with his good arm. He didn't want to let her go. "No, Mama."

Arizona crouched down so that she was looking eye to eye with Eli. "Dr. Callie has to take pictures so she can fix it. Just like when your tummy hurt, remember?"

"No, Mama," the toddler said more defiantly. "You fix."

"Baby, I can't fix you this time but Dr. Callie is _the_ best doctor I know to fix your arm. I promise."

"Promise?' Eli asked in tears. He was hurting and he just wanted his mother to fix his broken arm. It killed Arizona to see her son in so much pain. He never cried unless he was seriously hurt.

"How about you come with us?" Callie suggested.

Arizona smiled at her ex-girlfriend. "Thank you," she whispered as they started to leave the room.

"I'll just make myself useful and go check on Abraham," Alex spoke loudly at the retreating form of his wife. He knew she was still mad at him for not telling her about Eli being in the ER. He also knew that she was more upset at the fact that Callie had just discovered their secret. He wanted to make her life a little bit easier so he would take the time that they were in radiology to get an update on Abe's status so that he would hopefully have good news to report when she returned.

**…**

Arizona and Callie walked to radiology in silence. They arrived at the x-ray room and Arizona moved Eli to the x-ray table and got him settled so that Callie could get the images she needed to fix him. After many tears and a promise of ice cream, Arizona was able to leave the room so that Callie could take the x-rays. Arizona retreated to the imaging room next door where Callie was sitting at the computer waiting for the x-rays to load.

Arizona sighed as she leaned against the closed door and stared at Callie who had refused to look at her since they left the exam room. This was not how Arizona wanted Callie to find out. She wanted to be the one to tell her. As badly as Callie hurt her, Callie deserved to hear it from her and not as second hand gossip. "Callie…"

"It should only take a few minutes to get the images," Callie spoke. She just wanted to do her job. Fix the broken bone of a patient in her care and then move on to the next patient. She did not want to deal with her ex-girlfriend.

"This isn't…" Arizona started. She desperately wanted to talk about this with Callie. Now that it was out there it couldn't be avoided. "This isn't how I wanted you to find out." Arizona leaned her head against the door and closed her eyes saying the words more for herself than for Callie, "We didn't plan on anyone finding out."

Callie's eyes remained trained on the computer and gritted her teeth. She was losing her resolve to stay professional and just be the doctor in this situation. "Really, it should only take a few more minutes."

"Callie, please…"

"What Arizona?" Callie snapped and whirled around to look at the blonde. "Or should I call you Mrs. Karev? Dr. Karev? Whatever you're going by now? What could we possibly have to talk about?"

Arizona steeled herself against the door. She expected Callie to be angry but instead she was met with apathy. "Considering you just found out that I'm married with kids. _Who_ I'm married to – I thought you might have something to say about that."

"I broke up with you. Remember? You're allowed to move on," Callie said coldly.

Arizona winced as Callie mentioned the breakup. "You're angry. I can see it in your eyes. You need to get your anger out because I really don't want _my _child's doctor to be pissed off while she's setting his bones!"

"Do you really think that little of me that you would think that I would take out my personal feelings on a patient?"

Arizona was exasperated with the Latina. "I've seen you do it! Do you not remember when you were pregnant? You took out all of your frustrations on your patients. You were more than happy to cause them pain!"

Callie remembered back to the day that she found out she was pregnant. She did enjoy putting her patient that day in pain. Part of her wanted that man to be in as much pain as she was. Callie shook her head no, "I would never do that to a child."

Arizona straightened her shoulders out and faced Callie head on. "I'd rather not take that chance. Eli has been through enough in his life. So just get it out on me. I can take it."

Callie couldn't bear to have Arizona's blue eyes staring at her. She turned around to face the computers again. "I really don't have anything to say to you."

"Just tell me what you're thinking," Arizona softened her stance to a less offensive one.

Callie scoffed. "I don't know what to think." She twirled around in her chair to face Arizona again and her voice rose, "You know what? I do want to know how the woman who once never wanted children now has three. You broke up with me because you didn't want children!"

"And you changed my mind about that. You made me fall in love with your child then broke up with me for no reason!" Arizona yelled back.

"So you decide to go ahead and have kids with the first person to pay attention to you – no matter what sex they are?"

"That's not how it happened," Arizona's voice softened again.

Callie rolled her eyes, "Then please, tell me how you married Alex Karev of all people and had kids with him. The same guy that spread syphilis around the hospital his intern year."

"When we got to Africa we were both so broken. I had just lost the person I thought I was going to spend my life with _and_ my daughter. You shattered my world, Calliope," Arizona said thoughtfully as she stared into Callie's eye. "Alex was also lost after losing his best friends in Seattle. For the first year all we did was go to work and go home. I didn't even know what existed in Mzuzu outside of my apartment and the clinic. Working non-stop kept me from feeling the pain. Then, one day Alex and I delivered these babies from their dying mother. They were born so early. I didn't think they'd survive an hour but I wasn't going to give up on them before they had a chance to live. We threw everything we had into making sure they survived. We lived at the clinic for weeks only going home to get clothes. These two tiny miracle babies gave us a reason to live again. And as it turns out in Malawi you have to be married to adopt. So we got married so that we could bring our sons home and not have them go to an orphanage. The rest just sort of happened." Arizona paused to let the information sink in before countering Callie's attack on her husband. "And _that_ _man_ that spread syphilis around the hospital, has also saved countless children's lives including _yours_ and _his_ own. _That same man_ holds our sons' hands as they undergo yet another surgery due to their premature birth. _He_ comforts them when they're up sick all night because of the medicines they're on. _He_ checks for monsters under the bed. _He_ sings lullabies to our daughter before bed and makes sure he never leaves home without her favorite teddy bear. _His_ locker at work is covered in masterpieces colored by his kids. _That man _is one that didn't want to tell me that one of our son's was in the ER with a broken arm because he was trying to protect me from worry – he knew that I was already too upset dealing with the fact that our other son is currently undergoing his fourth heart surgery right now. _That_ is the Alex Karev that I married."

Callie sat in her chair stunned at the tongue lashing she just received from Arizona. It was enlightening to say the least. "Arizona, I had no idea…"

"You're right you didn't. Because you broke up with me without a single tear… without as much as a goodbye."

"I didn't deal well with everything at the time. I admit that. I know I treated you horribly."

Arizona coughed, "Is that an apology?"

"I'll never be able to apologize enough. I'm truly sorry," Callie forced Arizona to meet her gaze. "I guess it all worked out for you though. You get the happy family. The one that I still dream about having."

"You have Sofia and Mark."

Callie started to respond and tell Arizona that Mark isn't a part of the family that she wants when she realized they had been so distracted with their fighting that they missed Elijah's scans appearing on the computer.

"It's a simple break," she said after examining the x-rays for a moment. "I'll reduce it and cast it. Because he's so young it should only take three to four weeks to heal." Callie looked up to meet Arizona's relieved eyes. "Unless you want me to get someone else to do it?"

Arizona shook her head, "No, I trust you."

Callie gave the blonde a small smile, "Why don't you take him back to the exam room and I'll meet you there with the supplies."

"Thank you," Arizona whispered as she left the room to go get Eli.

**…**

Cristina finished the valve replacement Teddy asked her to do and headed toward OR 3 where Teddy should have been halfway through a Fontan procedure. She had just scrubbed in and was entering the operating room when she noticed the lack of action going on in the room.

"Someone needs to go tell the family," Teddy said solemnly to Emily who was standing next to her.

Cristina walked into the room and stood next to Teddy, "What's going on?" she asked as she checked out all of the machines which showed the patient was still stable on the table.

"Too much scar tissue from previous surgeries makes it impossible," Teddy answered. "You can help me close if you'd like, Dr. Yang."

Emily stepped back from the table, "I'm going to go tell the family."

"Tell Alex and Arizona we'll meet in my office in an hour to discuss the next steps," Teddy spoke to Emily as she worked to put the boy's chest back together before sewing him closed.

"I was just in the waiting room talking to Karev and I didn't see anyone that looked like this kid's family," Cristina spoke to the younger surgeon retreating from the room. "So what is the next step for this kid if we can't do the Fontan? Pretty hopeless, huh?"

Teddy's head snapped up, "He needs a heart. We'll get him moved to the top of the transplant list."

"You and I both know how hard it is to get organ donations for children. Parents don't like to slice their kids open."

"Not getting a heart is not an option," Teddy remarked coldly. "I'm almost done here so why don't you go find something else to do." Teddy couldn't deal with Yang's insensitivity any longer. Not when it was about her godson.

Cristina didn't know why she was being kicked out but took the opportunity to escape so that she could do some more snooping. She scrubbed out and was making her way back to the cardio wing when she walked by the waiting room. She glanced in expecting to see Emily informing an African family about how the surgery, or lack thereof, went. Instead, she saw Emily speaking with an older woman and watched as the two walked out of the waiting room and toward the elevator. Cristina kept getting more questions and no answers to solving the mystery about what was going on with Alex and Arizona.

**…**

Alex hadn't returned from trying to get an update about Abraham when Arizona returned to the room with Elijah. Arizona took a moment to explain to Eli what was about to happen. That Callie was going to fix his arm and put a cast on it. A few minutes later Callie rolled a cart into the room with all the supplies she'd need.

"Do you want me to administer some pain relief meds before we get started?" Callie asked Arizona who was sitting next to Eli attempting to calm him.

Arizona took in Eli's appearance. He looked pale and his skin was clammy. She knew he was in a lot of pain. She knew that setting the bone would put him in more pain. "I think you'd better."

Callie nodded as she slipped on her gloves so that she could give the little boy a shot. She moved toward Eli to prep his arm for the injection. She wanted to distract the little boy so that he wouldn't even notice she was giving him a shot. "What's your favorite thing to do, Eli?" Callie asked as she ripped open the alcohol pad to sterilize the injection site.

"'wimming," Eli answered as he watched the doctor intently.

"Swimming?" Callie asked. "Do you have a pool to swim in?" Callie was almost ready to administer the shot. She would do it when Eli answered her question.

Eli shook his head no, "Gramma has pool. We go 'wim all the…" Before Eli could finish his sentence Callie stuck him with the shot. He flinched but didn't cry. He picked up what he was saying after a beat. "We 'wim all the time."

"That is very cool, Eli. I wish I had a pool to go swimming in all the time," Callie cleaned up her mess and turned to Arizona. "We'll give that a few minutes then we can get started."

Callie continued to engage Eli in conversation as Arizona sat next to him. She was amazed that Callie could get him talking. Eli was the shy twin. He was very outspoken with those that he knew but not with strangers. As they were waiting for the medicine to take effect Alex returned.

"Did you get an update?" Arizona asked as soon as he walked into the room.

"Not really," Alex answered. "The best I got was that they were still working. Teddy and Emily couldn't get away to come talk to me. Cristina was about to scrub in when I left." Alex went to give Eli's head a rub, "What's the verdict for the little Evel Knievel?"

Eli looked up to his dad with wide eyes, "What's kne…knevil?"

Alex chuckled, "He's a dude who did rad stunts like you did by jumping off the monkey bars."

Arizona answered Alex's question, "Simple break. We're waiting on pain meds to work before Callie sets it."

"High five, little dude." Alex held his hand up to Eli's good hand. "Your first broken bone." Alex turned to Arizona who wasn't nearly as excited that their baby boy had his first broken bone, "First of many, I'm sure."

Arizona could tell the medicine was starting to work. Eli was starting to look tired and wasn't clinging to her as tightly as he once was. He was more amused by the cartoon Alex had loaded on his phone for him to watch than anything.

"Dad called while I was up with your mom. Apparently and I quote 'Daniella is an angel and I'm keeping her.'" Alex informed his wife about their youngest child.

Arizona scoffed, "We'll see if he's still singing that tune tonight when she doesn't let him get more than four hours of sleep at a time. He'll be calling us begging us to come get her."

"Not his precious namesake," Alex added sarcastically.

"The Colonel keeps a strict schedule, you know that," Arizona rolled her eyes as she realized she just referred to her own father as 'The Colonel.' "He won't know what to do when Della doesn't follow his six hours of sleep in a row plan." Arizona looked over to see Eli's head bobbing. She spoke up to Callie, "I think the pain meds are working."

"Great. What color would he want for his cast?"

"Green," Alex and Arizona answered in unison. Arizona laughed softly and clarified, "When they were newborns we put them in blue and green hats so that we could tell them apart. Since then, Abe is always wearing some kind of blue and Eli is always in green."

Callie laughed along with the blonde, "Wait until they're older and realize they can easily switch places by switching the colors up."

"I'm sure it won't be too much longer until they figure that out. They already love trying to trick people that don't see them enough to learn how to tell them apart."

Callie was set up to pop the bone back into place. She only wanted to have to do this once. "Ready?" She asked the blonde who was holding tight to the little boy around the waist. Alex was hovering nearby with his cell phone out. He wanted to document their son's first broken bone in video for prosperity.

Arizona nodded and Callie quickly snapped the bone back into place. Eli cried out softly when she moved it but his tears stopped by the time she removed her hands from his arm. The pain that had been taunting him all day had all but disappeared. Callie noticed that Arizona still had a firm grip on her son and was holding her breath. "It's okay Mom, you can breathe now."

Arizona was broken out of her trance and released her tight grip on the little boy. She leaned over to kiss his head. "That wasn't so bad was it Eli bear?" He shook his head no. "And now, you get a cool cast that everyone can write on."

As Callie started getting the fiberglass casting ready, the door to the exam room opened and in walked Barbara and Emily Robbins. Arizona immediately looked at her watch. She noticed that it was a little after one in the afternoon. Abe's surgery was scheduled to last at least until two. Her mind jumped to very dark places until Emily walked over to her and told her that he was okay. Arizona wanted to ask more questions but knew better than to discuss such sensitive matters in front of Eli who was too smart for his own good.

Barbara moved to give her grandson kisses. She noticed that he was in much better spirits than when she left him. Emily also moved to visit with her nephew.

"Auntie Em! I broked my arm!" Eli exclaimed with a smile to his aunt.

Emily smiled widely back at her nephew, "I heard you did, buddy. I want to be the first person to sign that cast. Don't let anyone else sign it first, okay?"

"I won't," Eli answered not really understanding what his aunt was asking of him but realizing that the proper answer anyway.

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes," Eli whined. He was looking for sympathy from everyone even though he wasn't really in that much pain anymore thanks to the pain medicine.

Emily glanced at Callie who was still working away at setting the cast on the little boy's arm. She turned her attention back to Eli. "That's too bad Eli. I have to go back home to Boston tomorrow and I was planning on having a date tonight with one of my favorite guys. I was going to have ice cream for dinner and then watch all of the Cars movies until I fell asleep. Since Abe is playing with Aunt Teddy today I guess I'll have to find someone else to join me."

"Me! Me!" Eli yelled as he hopped up and down on the bed trying not to move his arm so that his doctor could do her work on it.

"But you're sick. You can't do all of that if you're sick."

"It don't hurt, Aunt Em. I promise."

"You sure?" Emily questioned.

"Promise! Mama can I go with Aunt Em?" Eli turned his attention and flashed his big brown eyes at his mother.

Arizona pretended to be deep in thought. "I don't know E. If you're hurt you really should just spend the rest of the day in bed."

"Daddy!" Eli exclaimed trying to get his father's support.

Alex continued to play with the little boy's emotions. "Mama has a point, bud."

"I promise I'll be good!" Eli whined.

"Hmm. I guess you can. But only if Aunt Emily makes sure to feed you a nutritious dinner _before_ you eat your weight in ice cream." Arizona glances up at her sister who nods her head.

"Yay!" Eli cried and Emily joined him in his celebration.

"Okay, now before we can get our fun night started, I need to talk to your mom and dad for a bit. Maybe while we're gone Gramma will tell you all about how your Mama broke her arm when she was little," Emily smirked at Arizona.

Arizona rolled her eyes and Barbara Robbins laughed in the corner as she thought about the memory. "I'm not sure he needs to hear about the dumb things his Uncle Tim made his Mama do when she was little."

Barbara shook her head, "All the more reason for him to know – so that he doesn't try to do the same to Della."

Arizona, Alex and Emily moved to leave the room as they overheard Barbara begin the story about how Timothy convinced Arizona that she was a superhero like Wonder Woman and convinced her to test it out by jumping off of the top of their tree house.

**…**

As soon as the door was closed Arizona was firing questions at her sister. "Why are you done so early? How is Abe? What happened? What went wrong? Is he okay?"

Emily grabbed her sister by the wrists, "Calm down, Zona. Take a deep breath."

Arizona took several deep breaths. Breathing in from her nose and out from her mouth. Alex was standing next to her with his arm around her waist. When Emily thought that they were sufficiently calm, she decided she had to break the bad news to her family.

"We couldn't complete the procedure. There was too much scar tissue to make it work. Teddy's closing up now."

After hearing that the one procedure that could give her son more time failed, Arizona's eyes welled up with tears. She couldn't stop them from rolling down her face. She was speechless. Her mind was racing and she couldn't stop thinking about how she was going to lose her son.

After taking a moment to let the news sink in Alex broke the silence. "What do we do now?"

"Teddy wants to have a meeting in her office in an hour." Emily gazed between Alex and Arizona who both looked defeated. "We're going to figure this out. I'm going to go check on Abe who should be in the ICU soon. Tell Eli that I'll pick him up from the hotel at four." Emily leaned in and gave her sister a quick hug and kiss on the cheek as she left the devastated parents standing in the hallway.

Arizona found herself enveloped by her husband's arms. There weren't any words to be said between them. They both knew what the failure of the surgery meant for their son. They knew his last chance was to get a new heart. They held on to each other as if they were the only lifeline they had. After a few minutes, Alex pulled out of the embrace. Abe wasn't their only child and he knew they needed to get back to Eli. Alex wiped his tears and gave himself a moment to compose himself. He didn't want Eli knowing that anything was wrong with his brother. He knew Arizona needed more time to herself so he didn't push her to going back in with him. He gave her another squeeze and kiss before walking back into Eli's treatment room with a fake smile on his face. After taking another few minutes to compose herself, Arizona returned to see Callie finishing the cast on Eli's arm. Callie looked up when she heard the door open and could tell that something had happened out in the hall. She could tell that Arizona had been crying even though she was giving her best smile to her son.

"All done," Callie told the little boy after lifting his arm gently into a sling. Callie ripped off her gloves, "I'm going to go get his discharge paperwork. I'll be right back."

"Pretty cool cast you have there, Eli." Arizona stated to a lethargic Eli. She could tell that he was fighting off the effects of the painkillers. "I think it's time for you to go take a nap with Grandpa and Della."

"I wanna stay with you and Daddy!" the little boy protested.

"If you stay here with us, you won't get to go play with Aunt Em later," Alex tried to pacify his son's forthcoming fatigue induced tempter tantrum.

Eli thought about his options for a moment. Ice cream dinner did sound a lot more fun than spending the day at the hospital with his parents. "Okay," he huffed.

"Okay," Callie entered the room and handed Arizona a piece of paper to sign. "Ibuprofen as needed for pain and he'll need to have it checked in about a week. If you're still here I'll be more than happy to do it." Callie leaned down to Eli, "No more falling off monkey bars, okay?"

Eli nodded and grabbed his grandmother's hand. Arizona had signed the paperwork with a flourish and handed it back to Callie before bending down to say goodbye to her son. "Be good for Grandma and Grandpa. We'll call you before you go to bed, okay, baby?"

Eli nodded and leaned in to give his mother a kiss goodbye. He repeated the process with his father. As soon as their son was out of sight, Arizona turned into Alex's arms and fell apart.

**…**


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: This chapter is a bit all over the place, sorry for that. Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter - especially from the newer readers. I love seeing people that were skeptical to read this pairing but have become fans. Now for a bit of bad news - this will probably be the only update this week. I'm running a marathon on Saturday and plan on doing absolutely nothing afterward so I doubt I will be able to get enough written before Friday to have a decent update. I'll try but I make no guarantees. Thank for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

Callie slammed her tray down on the cafeteria table. She had had quite the day and couldn't wait for it to be over. She had four more hours before she could escape and go home. Callie slumped down in the hard plastic chair as she began to poke at her late lunch. She was oblivious to the others at the table.

"Who peed in your cheerios today?" Cristina's question caused Callie's eyes to dart up toward the Asian woman.

"Hmph," Callie grunted and went back to staring at her salad, not able to put into words just how crappy her day had been.

Cristina twirled a piece of spaghetti around a fork and pointed it at Callie. "What did Roller Girl do today to put you in this fantastic mood?"

"Nothing. She did nothing." Callie wasn't ready to talk about what she had learned that day. She needed time to process how Arizona's new life made her feel. Callie's mind wandered as she sat in silence with Cristina. She couldn't shake the image of how sad and upset Arizona seemed as she finished setting Eli's arm. "Did you get in on that heart thingy with Teddy today? The one that Alex and Arizona brought in?"

Cristina shook her head no. "By the time I got in there they had scrubbed the surgery. Too much scar tissue to continue."

Callie nodded her head as Cristina spoke. "So what does that mean for the kid?"

"It means the kid won't see his third birthday in a couple of months unless he gets a new heart which isn't very likely."

Callie's heart sank for her former lover. Even though she was angry and confused with Arizona she felt empathy for her. She now understood just why Arizona was so upset. She had just been told her son was dying. "Oh. That's too bad."

Cristina shrugged. "Hopefully he gets a heart." Callie was shocked at the empathy the usually cold surgeon seemed to have toward the young patient. Cristina continued, "I mean, that would be a pretty badass transplant to be in on. Such a tiny heart makes things so much more complicated."

Callie frowned, "That's got to be tough for the family to hear. I can't imagine having to think about losing Sofia like that."

Cristina nodded in agreement. She didn't have children of her own or want any but being close with Callie and Meredith's children she couldn't imagine having to lose one of them either.

The two went back to eating in silence until Mark appeared looking for Callie. "Hey Cal, I need a favor."

"I'm not shaving your back for you again," Callie responded.

Mark pulled a chair next to her, "I know it's my night with Sofia but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind keeping her?"

"I have a date tonight," Callie rolled her eyes.

"I know but can't you guys have your date at home? I really need tonight," Mark begged.

"You know I haven't introduced Charlie to Sofia yet. It's too soon."

"You guys have been together for three months. What's the hold up? Don't think Sofia will like the girlfriend?"

"It's complicated you know that. What's so important that it's going to make me cancel my date?" Callie questioned wanting to know why Mark wanted the night free. Mark was usually so good with wanting as much time with Sofia as possible so it was odd for him to be requesting to give up one of his nights with his daughter.

Mark smiled sheepishly, "The woman I'm seeing. She's had a really bad day and I just want to try to make it better and since we have the rule about not introducing Sofia to people until we are in committed monogamous relationships, I can't have her around." Mark's smiled widened as he thought about being in a relationship with Teddy, "But hopefully that will change soon."

"If I help you out, then you have to tell me who this mystery woman is. Deal?" Callie held her hand out for Mark to shake.

"Deal," Mark said as he shook her hand. "Once she deals with the current crisis in her life… then she can meet my baby mama."

"Mark!" Callie growled. "What have I told you about calling me that?"

Mark stood up from his chair and retreated in fear for having his manhood attacked like Callie had done the last time he called her that name.

"That should be your new investigation since you're drawing blanks on your Alex and Arizona one," Callie told Cristina. "Find out who he is dating. It's someone in the hospital."

"Nah. I'm too invested in the babysitters to care about who the manwhore is banging. The dead ends I keep getting with Alex and Arizona are just making me more curious."

Callie sipped on her drink as she debated whether or not she should just tell Cristina or make her figure it out on her own. She stood up to leave after making up her mind on not helping her. "Good luck with that then. Those two are keeping whatever it is very close to their chests."

**…**

Alex and Arizona had spent forty-five minutes sitting at their son's bedside as he remained sedated in the pediatric ICU. It would take another few hours for the anesthesia to wear off and for Abe to wake up. He looked so peaceful as he lay in the hospital bed covered in wires. His parents sitting at his bedside were anything but at peace. Their thoughts raced about how badly he needed a heart.

After the day that they had been through with both of their sons, Arizona and Alex didn't care about their secrets anymore. Alex wrapped his arm around Arizona's waist as they made their way toward Teddy's office. They both needed the physical contact after leaving Abraham. They needed to know that they still had each other for support. That they would always have each other.

"Callie knows," Arizona said in a whisper as they entered the elevator.

Alex shrugged his shoulders, "I figured she would. I mean, she saw our son calling you mom and me dad. Did she say or do anything to upset you while you two were alone?"

"No. She didn't really say much of anything."

Alex pulled his wife closer to his body as they waited for the small metal box to go to the cardiology floor. "I'd imagine she's in shock. I would be." Alex pushed a strand of Arizona's hair behind her ear. "I love you and you love me. I know this. But I also know that you two need closure. I'm not telling you to run out and talk to her right now but when all of this calms down with Abe, I think you two should talk."

Arizona rolled her eyes. She really didn't want to deal with Callie more than she had to but deep down she knew Alex was right. "Like you got closure with Izzie?"

"If I ever see Izzie again, I'd want closure with her too." Alex smirked and stole a kiss from his wife, "Plus, I'd really like to show her how happy a good wife makes me."

Alex and Arizona walked off the elevator with a little more distance between them than before. "I promise to talk to Callie once things settle down with Abe."

"Do you think she's going to tell everyone?" Alex asked as they knocked on the door to Teddy's office.

"I don't think so. Maybe she'd tell Mark but he already knows."

After hearing a faint "Come in" from Teddy they entered the office for a meeting on how they would save their son's life. It would be one of the most important meetings of their lives.

**…**

They spent over an hour talking about options. The only problem was that there weren't any other options to try to fix Abe's heart. The only thing left was to get him a donor heart. Instead they talked about how to take care of Abe while they waited for a heart. They debated pain management, medicines and keeping him comfortable. All things that no parent ever wants to have to think about when it comes to their child. The most important topic that they discussed was where would they wait for a heart. Do they stay in Seattle or do they take their son home to Boston? The ultimate goal would be that they get a heart quickly and they don't have to consider any of these options. Abraham would be recovering from his heart surgery for at least two weeks as long as there weren't any complications.

Arizona spent much of the meeting in her own little world. She was lost in her thoughts. Her mind kept going back to special moments in Abraham's life. Moments that she might never get again.

"_Mama. Maaa-maaa," Arizona repeated as she attempted to feed the almost one year old in the high chair. "Come on Abe. You can say it. Mama." Two days earlier Abraham had said his first word – ball. Elijah still seemed more content to just sit and observe and showed no signs of talking just yet. Their parents weren't worried. They were preemies and they knew they would deal with developmental delays for most of their lives. But once Abe said the word ball, Arizona made it her mission to at least have his second word be mama. _

"_Ball," Abe giggled as he spit yogurt out of his mouth._

_Arizona shook her head and wiped the boy's face clean. "I know you love your soccer ball, bubba. I have no doubt you're going to be a soccer star someday but I really need you to say mama for me. Ma-ma."_

"_Ball. Ball. Ball. Ball." Abe continued to giggle. Arizona sighed. At least he wasn't saying no over and over yet. Arizona noticed the boy's eyes fixate on something behind her. She watched as Abe smiled and laughed. She knew Alex must have come home and was trying to sneak up on her. She decided to let Alex have his fun. After another moment of helping Abe eat his dinner she felt strong hands tickle her sides._

_Arizona let out a high pitch squeal that quickly turned into laughter. Abe joined in with his parents laughing. Arizona turned in her husband's arms and swatted him in the chest. _

"_Still no mama?" Alex asked._

_Arizona groaned, "No. Just ball."_

"_Ball," Abe giggled after hearing his mother say his favorite and only word. _

"_Dada," Alex lifted his son out of the high chair and above his head. He had his own scheme of having dada being Abe's second word. "Abe say dada."_

_Instead of saying dada to his father, Abe chose to spit up on him instead._

_Arizona handed Alex a washcloth, "I've been engraining mama into him all day. No way are you going to come home and get dada without even trying." _

_Alex shrugged his shoulders. She was right. In fact, he would be upset if Abe's second word was dada over mama. He wanted that honor to go to his wife. It meant more to her than it did to him. Plus, he knew that Abe's vocabulary would likely explode in the next few weeks now that he said his first word. "How's Eli?"_

"_He had a pretty good day. The meds kept him sleepy most of the day. He got a little fussy when he couldn't play with Abe this morning. Trying to explain to an almost one year old that he can't wrestle with his brother because he'll tear his stitches is like explaining a surgery to a general practice doctor."_

_Alex frowned and moved to sit on the floor with Abe so that they could play, "I hate seeing him like that. Hopefully that was the last surgery for awhile."_

_Abe and Alex sat on the floor playing with his favorite soccer ball while Arizona cleaned up the kitchen from dinner. Every time that Abe pushed the ball toward Alex he would repeat his only word. He was making sure his father knew to push the ball back toward him. Alex was enjoying playing with Abe but also kept an eye on Arizona who was still working in the kitchen. It was summer in Malawi and air conditioning was a luxury that was rare in the country. Alex was grateful for the lack of air conditioning because it meant that his wife would wear tiny shorts and tank tops around the house. Out of the house she had to conform to conservative dress standards of the country so Alex loved the skin that he could see when they were home. He was busy staring at her while she leaned over to wipe off the counter when Abe launched the ball at him. Because he wasn't paying attention, the ball rolled right past Alex and down the hall. Alex was so entranced by Arizona that he didn't even realize he missed catching the ball that rolled across the floor toward him. _

_Abe used his new found word skills to get the attention of his father. "Ball," Abe yelled. "Ball."_

_Alex took a minute to shake out of his Arizona induced fantasy. Arizona had been watching the father and son play and saw when Alex got lost in his mind as he stared at her breasts. She saw that Alex was slow to emerge from his fantasy so she decided she needed to help her son out by fetching his ball for him._

_As she was coming up behind Alex with the ball in her hand she heard it. It was quiet and he sounded unsure of himself but he said it. _

"_Ma-ma," Abe stuttered. "Ball."_

_Arizona's eyes snapped to meet her husband's. She wanted to see if he heard it too. She'd been wanting Abe to say it for days and she was concerned that the heat was making her hear things. One look at Alex's wide smile made her realize that it was real. _

_Arizona kneeled down by Abe and handed him his ball. "Here you go, bubba. Here's your ball."_

"_Mama," this time Abe said more confidently. "Ball. Mama."_

"_Oh my goodness," Arizona laughed as she tickled the baby. "You're so smart, Abe." Arizona nuzzled her face into his neck, "I love you so much, bubba."_

_Alex wrapped his arms around his wife and son. "Now can we work on dada?"_

_Arizona laughed as she kissed Alex. Arizona's laugh was infectious and soon all three were on the laughing. The only thing that would have made the moment better was if their other son could be with him but he was busy sleeping and gaining his strength back after his surgery._

_Two days later Abe said dada for the first time. Not to be outdone by his identical twin, Eli also said his first word the day Abe said dada. Like his brother his first word wasn't mama or dada it was doggy after his cherished stuffed animal that he couldn't sleep without. _

Arizona felt Alex's hand leave her thigh. The missing warm touch brought her out of her memory. She had no idea what she missed while she was daydreaming. Alex would fill her in later. She looked up and saw him starting to stand. He held out his hand for her and gently brought her to her feet. She mumbled her goodbyes to Teddy and Emily and was led out of the room by Alex. They walked quietly back to the PICU where they resumed their vigil by their son.

"What are we going to do?" Arizona asked as she rubbed circles over Abe's palm.

Alex moved his chair closer to Arizona's, "Same thing we always do. Be his mom and dad. Treat him like we always do. Make sure that he's happy." Alex squeezed Arizona's hand tighter, "And pray." Arizona nodded as Alex continued speaking. "I know we're not the most religious family but I think we both discovered a higher power while we were in Mzuzu. That's all we can do."

"This sucks," Arizona said quietly.

Alex pressed his lips to Arizona's temple. "Yeah it does."

**…**

"Can I see Abe?" Eli asked his aunt as she led him down the hospital hallway.

Emily gently pulled Eli to a stop in the middle of the hall. She leaned down the best she could with baby Della in the carrier on her chest. "Not today, little E. Abe is really tired after Aunt Teddy and I spent the morning fixing his heart."

"Did you fix 'im?" Eli looked up at his aunt with his huge brown eyes.

Eli's eyes, the same eyes as his brother, melted Emily's heart. She didn't know how to explain to him what was wrong with his brother or if his parents even wanted him to know. "We did our best, Eli," Emily glazed over how well the surgery actually went. "Now how about we go find your mom and dad before this ice cream melts?"

"Yeah!" the little boy exclaimed and started pulling his aunt down the hall. He didn't know where he was going but was anxious to get there.

Emily reined the toddler in and directed them toward the PICU where Alex was going to meet them. Alex was standing against the wall with his knee bent when he saw a tiny ball of energy running right at him.

"Whoa, little dude. No running in the hospital, you know that," Alex lightly scolded as he scooped Eli into his arms. "Hey buddy," Alex greeted his son. "How's your arm feel?"

Eli pulled out of his father's embrace, "Aunt Em drew a picture on it!"

"Let me see," Alex said as he moved the boy so that he could see the cast better. Alex couldn't miss the dog that had its own injured leg on the cast. "Very cool, little dude. Can your dear old dad write on it too?"

Eli brought his little finger up to rest under his chin as he thought about the possibility of his dad also writing on his cast. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Alex asked incredulously.

"Can you draw?"

"Would you like to see a sample of my work Mr. Karev?" Alex started talking business with his son.

"Yes, please daddy," Eli laughed as Alex tickled him.

Emily patted him on the back. "Don't feel bad, dad. He made me draw on a piece of paper before I could put it on his cast too." Emily handed over baby Della to her father and nodded to the doors that led to the PICU.

"We'll be in the lounge while you're in there," Alex said as he began to walk away with his hands full.

Emily pushed through the double doors and made the familiar walk to the room that she left her nephew in earlier. She paused outside the door and watched as her older sister read her son a story while he slept. Emily quietly rapped on the door and caused Arizona to look up. Arizona gave her sister a half smile and motioned for her to enter the room.

Upon entering the room, Emily immediately shifted into doctor mode and started reading Abraham's chart. After noticing that nothing had changed from earlier, Emily was able to transition back to worried family member mode.

"Everything looks good," Emily murmured quietly to her big sister as she pulled the empty chair closer to Arizona. "Has he woken up yet?"

Arizona nodded, "For about five minutes an hour ago. He mumbled something about hand hurting then conked back out. Their twin powers are so freaky. How's Eli doing with his arm?"

"If it weren't for the bright green cast on his arm, you wouldn't know he was hurt earlier today. Your boys are tough."

Arizona wiped at a stray tear that had escaped, "Yeah they are."

"I remember when you called me and told me that you were going to adopt the babies that you had been emailing me about for months."

"_What's so important that you made me get up at two in the morning to Skype with you?" Emily asked her sister sleepily._

_Arizona put a photograph of two babies sleeping soundly in a NICU isolette in front of the web camera. "Meet your new nephews. Or hopefully your new nephews. Once the adoption goes through." Arizona looked up at her computer to see her sister's face fall in shock. "Abraham Timothy is in the blue hat and Elijah Michael is in the green hat."_

_Emily finally found your voice, "Wait, Zona. You're adopting those boys? The ones that you've been struggling to keep alive for the last three months? Do you really think that's a good idea?"_

"_Emily look at those little faces," Arizona said as she held the picture up again. "They have no one. Their mother died during childbirth. We took their picture all over town and no one would claim them as their family."_

"_So you're just going to step in and be their parent? How are you going to take care of two babies who need constant attention and run the clinic?"_

"_Well, I'm not doing this alone. Alex and I are going to co-parent."_

"_You're what?" Emily shouted at her sister. "You and Alex co-parent together? How in the world is that going to work?" she asked in a more normal voice._

_Arizona rolled her eyes at her computer. "We haven't figured all of the details out yet. We just decided to adopt them last night."_

"_Zona, I love you and I love those boys if this is what you want."_

"_It is," Arizona said resolutely with a head nod._

Emily laughed, "I really did think the heat of Africa had made you crazy after that Skype chat. But where would we be without those two boys?"

"I can't lose him, Em," Arizona said softly.

"You won't."

"I wish you were staying here," Arizona leaned her head on Emily's shoulder.

Emily stroked her fingers through Arizona's hair, "You know that the hospital can't survive without one Robbins wheeling down the halls. I'll be back as soon as we get a heart."

"If," Arizona muttered.

Emily pulled Arizona's face to meet her gaze. "Not if – when. We will get a heart. Okay?"

Arizona nodded and sniffled. She looked up when she saw another doctor enter the room.

"What are you doing here Cristina?" Arizona asked.

Cristina picked up the chart at the foot of the bed, "Teddy asked me to cover her patients tonight. Has he woken up again?"

"No, just the one time," Arizona answered. She was uncomfortable having Cristina in the room.

"Are you going to be here all night?" Cristina asked as she placed the chart back into its slot.

"Between Alex and me one of us will be here all night."

"I would think his family would be here with him," Cristina wondered aloud.

Arizona smiled as she looked at the sleeping boy. "We are his family."

Cristina didn't understand the blonde's statement but didn't ask for clarification. "I'll be here all night. Have me paged if anything happens."

Cristina quietly left the room and Arizona and Emily sat next to the bed in silence for a few minutes before Emily nudged Arizona's arm. "Now why don't you go spend some time with your husband and two other kids and I'll sit with Abe for a bit."

**…**

"Hey little man," Arizona greeted her son as she walked into the lounge and saw her son lying on the couch listening to his father read him a story. "You look a little sleepy."

"Mama!" Eli exclaimed softly as he held his arms open for Arizona to give him a hug.

Arizona leaned down to give him a hug and a kiss hello. Then she moved on to her daughter who was nestled against Alex's chest.

"What about me?" Alex asked after watching his kids get some kisses but he was ignored.

Arizona smiled and moved her lips closer to Alex's, "Oh you want some sugar too?"

"Mmmhmm," Alex whined as he moved his lips to capture hers. What was meant to be a chaste kissed quickly turned into something deeper until they were interrupted by a familiar hand tugging on their shirts demanding their attention.

"Mama! Read!" Eli demanded.

Arizona moved to sit next to Alex and pulled Eli into her lap. "Manners, Elijah," Arizona scolded.

Eli quickly corrected his previous statement, "Mama, will you read a story. Chonde?" Eli often reverted to his native Chichewa language when he was trying to be polite. Arizona attributed it to his nanny Tamanda's constant usage of please and thank you around the boys, to ensure they would be polite young men.

"Of course, I will." Arizona smiled and took the book from his hands.

Arizona and Alex took turns doing the voices and reading Eli's newest favorite book _The Lion and The Mouse_. Eli loved it because it was set in Africa. When Alex and Arizona moved their family to Boston they wanted to make sure the boys always knew where they came from and some of the ways they kept Africa alive in their hearts, besides regular visits to Mzuzu, was through books and movies. By the end of the story everyone was asleep even Alex. Arizona closed the book and snuggled her family closer to her while she waited for Emily to come get the kids and take them to the hotel for the night.

**…**

Cristina decided to do one last checkup on Abraham before she tried to get a few hours of sleep. Teddy had told her in no uncertain terms that Abraham was the priority patient for the cardiology department and Cristina didn't want anything to go wrong on her watch. Cristina was almost to the PICU when her stomach let out a growl. Realizing she was just outside the pediatric doctors' lounge she pulled a few dollars out of her pocket to grab a candy bar. She gently pushed the door open and saw a curious scene on the couch against the window. Alex Karev was asleep with his head tipped back over the couch. He held his daughter tightly against his chest even in sleep. Arizona was asleep with her head resting on Alex's shoulder. Her arm was wrapped around a boy that was sleeping with his head in Arizona's lap. He looked exactly like the boy laying down the hall in the PICU. She spent a few minutes staring at the sleeping bunch before exiting the lounge, forgetting all about the candy bar her stomach craved.

Cristina made her way to Abraham's room and was greeted by Emily who was half asleep herself. She told Cristina there had been no change in Abe's condition.

"I thought Arizona and Alex were going to be here?" Cristina asked her fellow cardio surgeon.

Emily shrugged her shoulders, "They needed a break so I told them I'd take over for a bit."

"They're passed out in the lounge with Alex's daughter and what appeared to be this one's twin." Cristina gestured to the hospital bed, "I don't know how their significant others are okay with them being so close. They were practically asleep on top of each other."

"They're all very close friends," Emily answered trying not to let anything slip out.

"Where are their parents?" Cristina again gestured to the boy in the hospital bed, "Could they not make the trip from Africa?" Cristina asked hoping to get answers out of the sleepy surgeon.

Emily shook her head, "No. They're here. They've been here the whole time."

"How come I haven't seen them?"

"Dunno." Emily yawned again and looked at her watch. "I need to get back to my hotel. I'm going to go get Alex. Can you stay with him while I go fetch him? Alex and Arizona don't want Abe left alone even for a few seconds."

"Sure," Cristina answered and took a seat to wait. Cristina picked Abe's chart back up hoping to get some answers from it. She normally only looked at the most current labs but decided to start at the beginning since the most recent things weren't giving her any insight into the mystery patient, his mystery parents and the mystery that surrounded the babysitters. It didn't take long for something to catch her eye. On the admitting paperwork she noticed that the place for parent or guardian signature had been signed by Arizona. It was signed with typical doctor's handwriting so it was very sloppy but she could easily make out Arizona's first name. The last name was harder to read but it wasn't Robbins. Cristina quickly closed the chart when she saw Alex heading toward the room. The two exchanged goodbyes and Cristina headed out in search of a candy bar that she could munch on while she thought what she just learned over. She didn't know why Arizona was signing as the guardian when Emily had just told her that the patient's parents were in the hospital. Also, Arizona was going by a new last name. If she could figure out the last name maybe she could use the internet to help her search for clues to solve the mystery.

Cristina was learning more clues but still no closer to solving Operation Babysitters. She wanted to bring it up again at lunch but she realized that her friends and co-workers were starting to lose interest in the Operation. She had no idea that they had lost interest because they had already figured out the secrets. She resolved that she would still attempt to bring it up again at lunch the next day in hopes that her friends might have picked up some nuggets that would help her tie the clues together.

**…**


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Kinda a filler chapter but I hope you enjoy anyway. Next chapter will be a lot of Alex/Arizona alone time, so that is something to look forward to with the next update. I injured my knee in a race over the weekend and am pretty much confined to the couch/bed this week so that should be a lot of writing time when I'm not drugged out on pain killers. Thanks for all the reviews and comments. I look forward to them. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.**  
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**…**

Cristina didn't see Teddy for two days after she went through Abe's file. They had been working opposite shifts. When Cristina would be leaving work, Teddy would be getting ready to start her day and vice-versa. Cristina was tired of waiting to get Teddy alone to discuss their young cardiac patient. On the third day after Abe's surgery she knew she'd see her boss as they had their weekly department meeting that afternoon.

Cristina made a point to get to the meeting early in hopes of finding Teddy there alone. Cristina smiled as she entered the conference room and saw that she got what she wanted – Teddy was sitting in the room alone going over something on her computer.

"Dr. Altman," Cristina spoke as she entered the room to announce her presence and to not startle the woman who seemed engrossed in her work.

Teddy's head flung up from the computer. She wasn't expecting anyone to join her in the conference room for at least another fifteen minutes. "You're early Yang."

Cristina took a seat in the chair next to Teddy, "There's something I wanted to discuss with you." Teddy's eyebrows rose as if to tell Cristina to continue. "I wanted to talk to you about Abraham's case."

"What about it?" Teddy was unsure what Cristina would have to say about the young child's case.

"I was going through his file the other day and I noticed that Arizona signed the admittance paperwork in the parent and guardian signature space."

"And?" Teddy questioned her junior surgeon.

"I was just wondering why she signed it and not his parents."

Teddy didn't want to reveal her friend's secret so she just gave Cristina a simple answer. "Any questions you have about Abraham's parents you need to ask Arizona or Alex."

"But is that legal? For Arizona to sign for him"

"Cristina I can't answer any questions about his parents. Ask Alex or Arizona."

Cristina was getting annoyed by the run-around she kept getting from her boss. "Where are his parents anyway? Arizona and Alex keep telling me that they're here but I haven't seen them. Every time I go in on rounds I only see him with Alex or Arizona."

"His parents are here and they spend a lot of time with him. Ask Arizona or Alex if you have any questions about them. That's all I'm going to say about it." Teddy said sternly to Cristina before going back to her work on the computer.

Cristina was peeved that she still didn't have any answers about the boy's parents but she knew that Teddy probably wasn't going to give her any information. She had been tight lipped about the case since they arrived. Cristina took out her cell phone to play Angry Birds while she waited for the rest of the department to arrive and the meeting to begin.

**…**

One week. Seven days. One hundred sixty eight hours had passed since Abraham's surgery had been scrapped. After three days in the PICU he was moved back to a regular room. The move made everyone happier. Abe was happy that he could watch television again; it helped make the days go by faster. Eli was happy that he could be with his brother again. Arizona and Alex were happier because it allowed their entire family to be together again. The past week had been hard on them. They were constantly juggling spending time with all of their children which left little time for them to take care of themselves. Arizona's parents were miracle workers. They spent their days taking over for Alex and Arizona when they were needed elsewhere. If they went to spend time with Della and Eli then the grandparents took over sitting with Abraham. Not once did Daniel and Barbara Robbins complain or ask for a break of their own. Their family came first.

It had also been one week since Eli's accident and broken arm. He needed it to be x-rayed again to make sure that it was healing properly. Arizona had been putting off getting the x-rays done all morning. For the past week she had been so busy taking care of her family that she hadn't seen the Latina orthopedic surgeon but she knew that today she would be forced into another meeting.

Like the last few days, Abe's hospital room was full of visitors. Barbara Robbins sat in the corner chair working on her latest knitting project. It was pink so Arizona assumed it was some kind of baby clothing for her daughter. Daniel and Alex were engaged in yet another debate about the upcoming college football season and what team would win the championship. Arizona was busy entertaining her sons. She kept raiding the pediatric department toy collection so that they had a constant variety of toys and movies so that the boys would not get too bored being cooped up in a hospital room all day.

It was almost lunch time and Arizona took it upon herself to venture out to get it from the cafeteria. She needed a change of scenery and wanted some alone time with her daughter. Arizona mindlessly headed down to the cafeteria with Daniella strapped to her chest. She engaged Della in conversation as they made their way downstairs. Arizona found it comforting to use Della as a sounding board to work out her thoughts. Sometimes she thought that Della could actually understand her when she would respond with cries or giggles as if she was saying no or yes to her thoughts.

Arizona walked into the cafeteria and immediately noticed a table full of her friends. She wondered how their schedules would always mesh so that they could eat together. She smiled gracefully at the table full of her friends as she walked past them and toward the cashier. Arizona had called down and placed her order with the cafeteria manager so it should have been as simple as walking in and picking up the food but of course it wasn't ready yet. She eyed the table full of her friends and debated going to sit with them for the fifteen minutes that she was told her food would take to be ready. Her day had been going well so she decided to just go for it.

Arizona took the safe route and sat next to Teddy and Mark who she knew wouldn't badger her about her personal life. Over the last week Mark had actually been really kind to her family. He would come and visit Abe at night when Teddy was doing her final check up before heading home. Mark was great at talking with the boys about the latest cartoons that he no doubt had been watching with his own daughter.

Mark saw Arizona walking toward the table with her hands full of her daughter and took the opportunity to pull the chair next to Teddy out for her.

"Hey Blondie," he remarked as Arizona sat next to him.

Arizona smiled, "Hey Mark."

"Oh my goodness!" April exclaimed, "Is that Alex's baby? I haven't seen her yet. She's so beautiful. She does look just like him."

Arizona rolled her eyes, "Yes, this is Della."

"You stealing babies now?" Cristina asked from the other end of the table.

"It's not stealing when you have permission," Arizona directed toward Cristina.

Teddy decided to help her friend out and shifted the conversation back toward the little patient upstairs, "How is Abe doing today?"

"He's good. He's starting to get a little stir crazy though. Any chance we could maybe take him outside later today? Even just a walk would really help his spirits."

Teddy smiled, "We should be able to arrange that. We'll see how things look during afternoon rounds. But as long as there's a doctor with him I don't see why we couldn't let the little guy get some fresh air."

"Thanks Ted, you'll be his favorite person if you can make that happen."

"What? I'm not his favorite already?" Teddy mocked and the two old friends erupted in laughter.

Della was not a fan of the laughter coming from her mother's body and voiced her protest. Arizona quickly changed into soothing mother mode and started rubbing the baby's back through the carrier and whispering to her with her mouth on the top of the baby's still bald head. The rest of the table looked on and watched the blonde mother the child. She looked so at ease with the baby. She looked like the child's mother.

"You're really good with her," April stated.

Arizona smiled. It never got old hearing people comment on her relationship with her baby. However, she had to quickly figure out how to respond without letting the others in on the fact that the baby is her daughter. She went with the simple route, "Thanks. She's a good baby."

The lunch table got quiet. Arizona couldn't help but notice Callie at the end of the table who kept her eyes trained on her lunch tray. Seeing Callie reminded Arizona that Eli needed to see her for a checkup on his arm.

"Callie?" Arizona called out toward the end of the table.

Callie's eyes met the blonde's as soon as she heard that familiar voice call her name. "Yeah?"

"Eli needs to have his arm checked out. Do you have time to see him today?"

Callie nodded at the blonde's request. "Sure. What time is good for you?"

Arizona glanced at her watch and noticed her food should be ready, "He'll need a nap after lunch so anytime after three if that is okay?"

"Sounds good. I'll be in surgery off and on all afternoon but Eli won't take long so I can squeeze him in."

"Great. See you then."

Callie nodded her agreement as Arizona stood up to leave. "Better get lunch up to the starving family before they come hunting for it."

Once Arizona was out of earshot, the table went back to gossiping about her and Alex.

"That baby really does look just like Alex," April repeated her earlier comment. "Is it weird that Arizona is that close to the baby?"

"Where is the mom?" Cristina questioned. "We still haven't seen the wife yet."

"Can't you guys just leave them alone?" Teddy suggested to the group. She'd been begging her friends just to leave the poor family alone since they arrived.

"Just tell us what's going on with them and then we will," Cristina barked at her superior.

Teddy took her tray in her hands so that she could leave the table. She didn't want to be around the snooping table anymore. "If they wanted you all to know their business, they'd tell you themselves."

"She's right," Callie said quietly. "Just leave them alone."

Cristina's head whirled around to meet her friend's, "Aren't you the least bit curious?" Callie just glared at her friend and ducked her eyes. Cristina noticed that Callie wouldn't keep eye contact. "Wait – you know something."

Callie also made a move to leave the table, "No, I don't. I'm just not going to dwell on my ex-girlfriend and her new life. Instead, I'm focusing on my current girlfriend."

Once she noticed that Callie was out of the room Cristina leaned across the table, "She so knows something. Mark you need to get her to talk. You're the only one that she'll open up to about Arizona."

"No can do," Mark shook his head. "Callie will talk if and when she wants to do so. This is hard on her. It's brought back a lot of feelings for her. Remember she was in a really bad way when they broke up and now Callie's being reminded of all of that as well as, I think, some guilt in how she treated Arizona. We all need to give her a break. And give Arizona a break too."

"Your new girlfriend has you whipped, Sloan," Cristina snarked while watching Mark leave.

Realizing that lunch was over April and Cristina also headed to the trash to dump their lunch trays.

"We need to step it up," Cristina mused to April as they headed out of the cafeteria. "It's been over two weeks and we don't know anything yet. Can't you use your virgin powers for something?"

April pushed the doors open, "I'm not a virgin anymore and you know that."

"Until you have a kid, you will always remain a virgin to me."

"I have surgery so I can't help with the stalking today."

"Luckily, I am covering the pit all afternoon so hopefully it will be slow." Cristina smiled as she remembered part of the lunch conversation about how Callie and Arizona will be together later in the afternoon. The wheels spun in Cristina's head as to how she could be there for that appointment or at least be in the general vicinity.

**…**

Cristina was twiddling her thumbs in the emergency room all afternoon. It was slow just like she wanted. She kept glancing at her watch. It was well past three in the afternoon. She kept waiting to see Callie and Arizona come down with the cardiac patient's twin brother. Time kept ticking by and there was still no sign of either woman or the child. She was about to give up when she saw Alex walk down into an exam room with the boy. Alex left the door to the room open which allowed Cristina to see inside. She watched as Alex picked the child up and put him on the exam table. He then said something to him and left the room and spoke quietly with a nurse before walking down the hall.

This was Cristina's chance. She had an opportunity to make a move. She quickly entered the room that Alex had just left. She didn't know how long he would be gone so she had to be quick.

"Who are you?" the little boy tilted his head at the doctor he didn't know.

A nurse was sitting in the room keeping the boy company.

"I'm Dr. Yang. Who are you?" Cristina hoped that his young age would help her and that he wouldn't question her since he was too young to know better. Cristina turned to the nurse and lied, "You don't have to stay. I'll wait with him. Dr. Karev asked me to help him out."

The nurse nodded her head and left the room.

"You're not Dr. Callie," Eli stated, ignoring Cristina's question.

"You're smart. No, I'm not. She'll be here in a minute. Can you tell me your name?"

"Eli," the child answered dutifully.

Cristina pulled the stool up so that she could sit next to the boy. "Where's your mom and dad, Eli?"

"With my brother. Daddy will be here soon."

Cristina was about to ask another question when Callie walked into the room.

"Dr. Callie!" Eli greeted. He liked Callie. She was nice and gave him candy after she fixed him last week.

"Hi Eli. Where's your mom and dad?" Callie asked then turned to Cristina, "What are you doing here?"

Eli just shrugged his shoulders and Callie looked back to the other doctor in the room.

"I'm on duty down here and I heard him crying so I came to check on him and found him all alone," Cristina lied.

Eli was offended that she said he had been crying. He was not a baby and only babies cry. "I no cry," Eli whined.

Cristina didn't want Callie to figure out she was fibbing and took her leave from the room.

Callie decided to try again with finding out where his parents were, "Where are your parents, bud?"

"Daddy be right back," Eli said. "Check out my pictures," Eli pointed to his cast.

Eli showed Callie his cast that was covered in different pictures. He tried to explain them as best he could to the doctor. He had a dog, turtle, butterfly and what appeared to be a game of tic-tac-toe on his cast. While he was telling Callie about how he beat his grandpa in tic-tac-toe, Alex had returned to the room.

"Nice of you to join us, Karev," Callie said as she noticed him enter the room.

Alex shrugged his shoulders, "I had to go get some candy for him. Someone didn't take their nap and is now a Mr. Crankypants who refused to come with me unless he got some Reeses Pieces. It wasn't worth fighting over."

Callie nodded in understanding. Some parents might deny it but everyone is guilty of offering bribes to get what they want from their kids every once in awhile. When used sparingly, bribes were extremely useful.

"So," Callie turned to the boy on the bed. "We need to go take some more pictures of your arm."

"Can my daddy come?" Eli asked with watery eyes. The x-ray room was a scary place and it always made him feel better if one of his parents was with him since his stuffed doggy wasn't allowed.

"Sure," Callie said as she watched Alex lift the boy off the table and take his good hand to walk him down to radiology.

Callie watched as Alex tried to get Eli to lie still on the x-ray table. It was a similar scene to the one she had a week ago when she watched Arizona try to calm the boy and get him to be okay with being alone in the room. Alex was successful and headed to join her. Callie didn't think things could get more awkward than they did when she was alone in the imaging room with Arizona, but being alone with Arizona's husband – that was way more awkward.

"Where's Arizona?" Callie asked as she kept her eyes on the little boy through the glass window. "I thought she'd want to be here."

"She fell asleep during nap time. She never sleeps anymore so I figured it was best to let her be," Alex answered while keeping his eyes trained on his son as well. "If she wakes up soon I'm sure she'll come down here."

"Alex, I'm really sorry about your son."

"He's going to be okay," Alex let the words hang in the air before broaching a subject he had wanted to with Callie since she found out about his family. "We didn't plan any of this." Alex kept his eyes trained on his son even when he felt Callie's eyes on him. "We went to Africa to escape our shitty lives here in Seattle. We didn't plan on adopting any kids. We didn't plan on falling in love with each other. You don't get to be angry with her for how our lives have changed. You broke up with her. You took her daughter away from her. You don't get to be angry."

"I'm not –," Callie started to defend herself.

Alex finally shifted his gaze from Eli to Callie. "I can see it every time you look at her. You look disgusted with her. You have no right."

Callie agreed, "I know I don't. I just don't get how she ended up with _you._ That's not a knock against you personally it has more to do with your gender than anything else."

"Maybe you should let her explain that… once Abraham is out of danger."

Callie glanced at the images that were appearing on the computer screen, "I don't think she wants to talk to me."

"She might not want to," Alex looked over her shoulder, "but she needs to and I think you need it too." Alex paused and switched the subject back to his son, "Everything look good?"

"Yeah," Callie said. "It's healing perfectly. I'll check again next week, if that is okay?"

Alex held the door open for Callie as they headed to get Eli, "Sure. We can't take Abe home until next week at the earliest anyway so we'll still be here."

The lack of nap and lying down in a quiet room made Eli sleepy and he refused to walk preferring to be carried by his father instead.

"I really am sorry about your other son," Callie said again as they said their goodbyes. "I'll be praying for your family."

Alex nodded and waved goodbye, carrying a half asleep toddler over his shoulder. Cristina who had failed to notice Alex return to the exam room and then leave again to go to radiology didn't miss overhearing Callie tell Alex that she would be praying for his family. She still hadn't put together that Abe was his true family and not just a close family friend. She wanted to harass Callie about the interaction but as soon as Callie saw Cristina walking toward her, she rolled her eyes at the younger surgeon, signaling that she was not going to talk about it, and walked away.

**…**

Alex and The Colonel trailed behind the women who were walking toward the hospital playground. It had taken a year for The Colonel to allow Alex to call him Daniel and not by his military rank. It had taken another year for Alex to feel comfortable calling him 'dad' and not by his first name. Alex had always been intimidated by his father-in-law. For the first six months of his marriage to Arizona their relationship was only through brief phone conversations when Alex would answer Arizona's cell phone for her. Every time The Colonel put the fear of God into Alex that he better be treating his oldest child right. It wasn't until Alex saw Daniel rolling on the grass playing soccer with the boys did Alex see that the Colonel was just a big teddy bear who was a pushover for his grandchildren.

As the men trailed behind, Teddy, Arizona and Barbara were laughing as they watched Eli and Abe try not to run toward the playground. Abe had strict rules for getting to leave his hospital room and rule number one was no running.

"I never thought I'd see this," Daniel said to Alex as he caressed the head of the baby girl in his arms. Daniel loved his grandsons but there was something special about having a granddaughter. Every time she looked at him with her bright blue eyes it melted his heart.

"See what?" Alex said distractedly as he focused on his wife's ass, walking in a pair of very tight jeans, twenty feet in front of him.

"This," Daniel repeated. "My daughter with a family. When she first told me she was gay one of the first things that I thought was that my dreams for her – marriage and kids weren't going to happen. Then I pulled my head out of my ass and realized that being gay doesn't mean she can't have all that. Until she informed us that she had no intention of ever having kids." Daniel paused before continuing, "Arizona has always been surprising though. Being the first born, she's always found the need to keep us on our toes. Like when she called home to say she was marrying you – a man_._"

_Arizona sat in her office chair biting her fingernails. She had been putting off making this phone call for almost a week. She didn't know how to tell her parents the news. News that most parents would love to hear. That she was marrying a great guy who treated her right. Most parents would love to hear that their daughter was settling down. However, she wasn't so sure that her parents wouldn't take the news that well. She was more nervous to tell them that she was marrying Alex than she was to come out to them at seventeen. _

"_Suck it up, Arizona," she told herself. "You're a strong, confident woman. You can tell your parents you're getting married."_

_Arizona nodded to herself and picked up her office phone. She dialed their number from memory. It was seven o'clock in the evening and her parents would be finished with dinner and sitting down to watch Jeopardy. Her parents were nothing if not predictable. She blamed her father's military career for instilling a sense of schedule and routine into every member of her family._

"_Hi mom," Arizona greeted her mother as she answered the phone._

_Arizona could hear her mother smile through the telephone, "Hi dear. Is everything okay? We normally only talk to you on Sunday afternoons. Not on Thursday nights." Arizona smirked as she realized just how right she was about her family and their military precision._

"_Can't I just call to say hi?" Arizona asked stalling the conversation._

_Barbara could tell by the tone of her daughter's voice that Arizona was nervous about something. She knew her daughter well enough to know that Arizona couldn't be pushed into talking about something. "Of course you can, dear. How are the boys?" Barbara had been overjoyed when Arizona called a few months ago and told them all about these two precious boys that Arizona wanted to adopt. She was happy to have grandchildren but also worried for her daughter's heart as she knew that the boys' health was precarious. _

"_They're doing really well. Eli smiled the other day. A real smile. And they've recovered really well from their surgeries last week. They should actually be able to leave the hospital soon."_

"_That's really great, Arizona."_

_Arizona felt like it was now or never in telling her parents her big news. "Can you get Dad on the other line? There's some news about the boys that I want to share with you both."_

_Barbara got up to find her husband in the other room, "Is everything okay?" she asked as she handed Daniel the cordless phone._

"_Everything is fine, Mom. Great even," Arizona took deep breaths as she heard her father pick up the other phone._

"_Hey. How's my baby girl?" Daniel greeted his daughter._

"_I'm good, Dad. I have some news for you guys. Good news. Or I hope you guys think it is, at least. It's good. It is. I hope you're okay with it…"_

"_Arizona!" Daniel stressed trying to get his daughter's attention and stop her rambling. "There's nothing you can say that will make us love you any less."_

_Arizona took a deep breath, "I'm getting married."_

"_You're what?" Barbara asked, shocked at her daughter's confession._

"_I'm getting married," Arizona mumbled. After another deep breath she said it again, this time more confidently, "I'm getting married. To Alex. Tomorrow."_

"_Okay, sweetie. You're marrying Alex tomorrow?" Daniel asked trying to understand what his daughter was telling him. "Please explain this to your mother and me."_

_Arizona paused, "They said we can't adopt the boys because we aren't married. They don't allow single people to adopt. So we're going to get married tomorrow."_

"_Are you sure that's the answer?" Barbara asked as she looked at her husband who sat with his mouth gaping open on the other cordless phone._

_Arizona looked up to see Alex enter her office and sit in the chair opposite her desk. He knew she was finally calling to tell her parents and wanted to offer his support. This was one time in his life that he was almost grateful he didn't have parents so that he didn't have to go through this. Alex gave Arizona a smile and the courage to continue her conversation., "Mom, if we don't get married they're going to take them to an orphanage. We both love them so much and we can't lose them. They won't survive an orphanage. Their bodies are too fragile to live with that many germs and not enough attention."_

_Daniel was still shocked but managed to find his voice, "And there's no other way? Marriage is serious business, baby girl."_

_Even though her parents couldn't see her Arizona nodded her head, "This is the only way to get our sons home where they belong. We've both agreed. We'll get married, get the boys and then divorce once we move back to the U.S. – it's simple enough."_

"_Marriage," Daniel started lecturing his daughter, "even a business arrangement marriage is anything but simple. I just don't want to see you hurt. This Alex, does he treat you well?"_

"_Daddy," Arizona sighed, "he's a great friend. A great doctor. A great father."_

"_How will this work when you two move back to the States?" Barbara interrupted curious as to how the two planned their future._

"_We've decided that no matter what we'll move to the same city and live near each other so that we can co-parent easier. We've discussed a whole lot of rules and things and everything will be put into writing before we divorce."_

_Daniel had been quietly thinking over what his daughter had told him. He was shocked but knew that there was no changing his daughter's mind. She was stubborn. She got that from him. "Are you happy?" Daniel asked simply._

"_Yes."_

"_Then okay. I do expect this young man to ask for permission to marry my baby girl…" Daniel huffed at his daughter._

_"Dad, we're going to the courthouse tomorrow. When do you expect him to ask permission?"_

"_Now?" he questioned._

"_Hold on," Arizona spoke. She covered the receiver of the phone and pointed it to Alex. "He wants to talk to you. He wants you to ask permission to marry me."_

"_What?" Alex whisper-yelled. "He wants me to ask permission?"_

_Arizona shrugged her shoulders, "He's old fashioned." Arizona shoved the phone at Alex and smirked. She enjoyed seeing him nervous. She knew he had every reason to be nervous. Her father was a very intimidating man, even over the phone._

"_Hello, Mr. Robbins," Alex spoke into the phone._

_The voice on the other end yelled through the phone, "That's Colonel Robbins to you young man."_

Daniel looked back down at the baby in his arms and smiled. He had no idea that that phone conversation so many years ago would lead to his daughter falling in love with a man and having a family with him. "I thought you had passed out after I yelled at you. You didn't say anything for five whole minutes."

Alex chuckled, "Arizona might have had to kick me and force me to say something."

Daniel stopped walking and looked toward his son-in-law, "You've taken good care of my baby girl. I know that whatever happens that she'll be okay because she has you."

"Arizona's strong," Alex started to describe how his wife would be okay without him.

Daniel interrupted, "After Tim died, Arizona, she went away. Not physically but emotionally. She withdrew from every thing and everyone. She wouldn't do that today because she has you to lean on and support her. And I know you wouldn't let her do that."

"No," Alex shook his head. "I wouldn't. But nothing's going to happen to Abe."

Daniel clapped his hand around Alex's shoulder and gave him a small smile. It wasn't something that anyone in the family wanted to think about – losing Abraham but they all were. They just wouldn't vocalize it. Out loud they were all steadfast that Abe would survive while deep down they weren't so sure.

Daniel and Alex continued to walk and trail behind their wives. "Barb and I want you two to take the night off."

"What?" Alex looked confused.

"You two haven't had a night to yourselves in a long time. I'm going to sit with Abe tonight and Barb will take care of the Eli and Della. You both need a break. Now I don't want to know what you'll do with your night off but just take some time to be with each other. We don't want to see you two until after breakfast tomorrow."

"Dad, I don't think Arizona would go for this," Alex sighed. He knew it would take brute force to drag Arizona away from Abe for the night.

Daniel laughed at his son-in-law, "Don't you worry. Barb and Teddy are both working on her right now."

The family reached the playground and even though Abe knew before they left the hospital room that he wouldn't be allowed to play he still tried to push his limits and take off toward the slides. He was quickly stopped by Arizona who threatened him with returning directly to his room and not getting to enjoy being outdoors a bit longer. Luckily for Abe, he didn't have to deal with watching his brother play and have fun without him. Eli chose to sit and play with Abe in the sand instead of going to the slides.

"Your parents want us to have sex tonight," Alex whispered into Arizona's ear as he sat down on the bench next to her.

Arizona leaned her head against his shoulder, "Do not mention my parents and sex in the same sentence ever again. And they don't want us to have sex. They just want us to have a night off."

Alex laughed and leaned over to kiss the top of her head, "Night off is code word for sex, baby."

Arizona entangled her hand with her husband's, "What if something happens while we're gone."

"Nothing will happen and in the very, highly unlikely event that something does – we have cell phones."

Arizona took a deep breath. She still wasn't sure about leaving Abe for the night but she knew that she wasn't going to win the fight, "Okay."

Alex leaned down and tilted Arizona's face towards his. He let his lips graze lightly over hers briefly before pressing in harder and opening his mouth to let his tongue snake out and taste her lips. He would never get over kissing Arizona. They momentarily forgot that they were at a children's park with their children, parents and best friend nearby. They lost themselves in the kiss until Alex felt a tiny pair of hands pulling on his leg. Alex broke the kiss and looked down to see Abe giving him a disgusted look.

"Daddy, no kissing," Abe declared.

Alex gently lifted the small child into his lap, "I'm allowed to kiss your mother whenever I want."

"No," Abe defied.

"Yep," Alex leaned over and kissed Arizona again just to prove his point.

Abe covered up his eyes, "Ewww."

Teddy joined in with Abe, "Ewww is right, Abe."

Arizona stuck her tongue out at her best friend.

Daniel and Barbara had also walked back to the bench and joined their family. "Time for you two to get out of here," Daniel announced to his daughter.

"You said tonight!" Arizona protested. "It's only four in the afternoon."

Daniel reached down and took Abe from Alex's lap. "Arizona. Go."

Arizona started to protest again when she felt Alex tug her up from the bench. She could tell by the look in his eyes that she wasn't going to win this battle. Instead she quietly gave in and said goodbye to her family before letting her husband lead her back to the hospital to grab their things before they were banned from being near Seattle Grace-Mercy West for the next eighteen hours.

**…**


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Mostly fluff! You'll have to use your imaginations again though - even the powerful pain killers couldn't get me to write the NC-17 stuff. As a local, I enjoyed getting to write a bit about some of my favorite places in Seattle. I hope all of the Canadians out there have a happy Canada Day and all of the Americans have a great Independence Day weekend. Thanks for reading and commenting as usual! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.**  
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**…**

After being forced out of the hospital, the husband and wife retreated to a hotel room to shower and change before going out on a date, as they had been instructed to by their parents. It had been the first shower that Arizona had taken in over two weeks that lasted longer than three minutes and it was heavenly. She stood underneath the spray of the warm water and let it wash away the tension in her muscles. She could have stayed under the gentle spray of the shower all night but she knew she'd eventually start pruning and that was decidedly not sexy for her one night off with her husband in weeks.

Arizona was facing the shower head as she worked the shampoo through her hair. She was softly humming her favorite song when she felt a rush of cool air across her back and her favorite pair hands wrap around her waist. Arizona kept her eyes closed as turned around and leaned her head back into the spray of water to rinse all of the soap out of her hair. She felt Alex's arms reach up and gently run through her hair to massage her scalp as he let the soap run out of her hair.

Arizona moaned at the heavenly sensation of Alex's fingers on her scalp as she pulled her head back into an upright position, "If you keep that up we're not going to leave the hotel room."

"I'd have no problem with that," Alex murmured into Arizona's neck as he moved his hands to cup her ass and pull her body closer to his.

"Mmm," Arizona tried to remain in control but subconsciously tilted her neck to give Alex more room as he started to lavish her neck with attention. "But I know you've been in the other room making plans for something and I don't want to let those go to waste."

Alex reached down and brought Arizona's leg up to hook around his waist and allow him better access to her body, "We have plenty of time to do both."

Arizona's head fell back against the shower door as she felt Alex's hands move to caress her breasts. She allowed Alex to back her up against the shower wall and start exploring her body with his tongue. Arizona's body had been turned on instantly from the moment that Alex joined her in the shower and she knew this wouldn't take long. Arizona's screams filled the bathroom and Alex wasn't sure if it was because of his exceptional skills or from the sudden shift of the water from warm to cold either way it was time to get out of the shower.

After a satisfying shower, they both took their time getting ready for their night out. Alex took charge of planning the evening and would only tell his wife to dress casually. Arizona was putting in her earrings, the finishing touches to her outfit, when she saw Alex sneak into the bathroom. She smiled at him as she caught his eyes in the mirror.

"We're not going to Joe's, right?" Arizona asked sarcastically.

Alex laughed as he pulled his plain grey t-shirt over his head and scruffed his hair. He knew Arizona loved the just out of bed look. "I have no problem going to Joe's and showing off my hot, beautiful, sexy wife in those tiny shorts you have on that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination," Alex raked his eyes over Arizona's body. "And I will do that before we leave here." Alex noticed Arizona's perplexed expression in the mirror and explained himself, "I might have promised Teddy to pay for her and Emily to get wasted one night after Abe is better… but tonight, tonight is just about you and me."

After checking herself out one more time in the mirror, Arizona took Alex's hand and let him lead them out of the hotel room and into their rental car.

After Daniel told Alex that he wanted them to take the night off, Alex thought long and hard about what he wanted to plan for the night. He wanted to try to take his wife's mind off of everything going on at the hospital – at least as much as he possibly could. He knew there was no way that she would forget their problems for the night but he could at least distract her for a little bit. The problem was that they were in a city that they were both intimately familiar with – unfortunately that meant that many places around the city held memories that included their former lovers which is not something that he wanted for their one night out. After a lot of consideration Alex decided to take Arizona someplace that he'd never taken a lover before and knowing where Arizona used to live in Seattle he figured she had probably never been there either. It was where he went when he wanted to get away from the world. It was the perfect place for a quiet evening with his wife.

**…**

Abe loved having his grampa to himself for one night. Grampa was Abe's personal hero. He loved listening to Daniel's military stories. Arizona made sure that Daniel kept them fairly clean for the little boy – he would be able to add the more salacious details as the boys got older and could handle the sensitive subject matter. To Abe his grandfather was his own personal live action GI Joe.

The two had what Daniel liked to call a "boys' night." They watched Bob the Builder, had chocolate milk, ate hamburgers and told stories before bed time. Daniel did ensure that Abe also had vegetables and brushed his teeth before bed. He wasn't completely irresponsible, but that was the fun of grandchildren – getting to spoil them.

Abe had finally fallen asleep after "just one more story, Grampa" from Daniel. The elder Robbins sighed as he watched his grandson sleep. He knew the odds weren't good for the boy. He tried not to think about how devastated he and his whole family would be. He'd dealt with the loss of his son over ten years earlier. It was hard to lose a child after having twenty-four years with them. He couldn't imagine the pain of losing a child who hadn't even had a chance to live his life yet.

Daniel decided that Abe's seven o'clock bed time was way too early for him to attempt to sleep so he pulled out his e-reader so he could continue the latest military history novel he was reading. He was at a very intense part of the book about the Battle of Waterloo when Cristina Yang entered the room to do the final check-up on Abe for the night.

Cristina was tired after a long day in the operating room. She didn't even bother to look around the room as she pulled Abe's chart from it's holder at the bottom of his bed. She knew what she'd see around the room. The patient would be sleeping and either Alex or Arizona would be in the chair next to the bed. After glancing at the latest in the chart she pulled out her stethoscope to listen to Abe's heart. It was as she was placing the stethoscope on Abe's chest that she looked up and saw an older man sitting next to the bed.

"You're not Alex or Arizona," Cristina cringed as the words left her mouth. After having to go through re-training in patient sensitivity multiple times over the years, she had gotten better about thinking before she spoke with patients as her mouth often got her intro trouble.

Daniel growled at the young doctor in the room. "That is an astute observation, Doctor."

"I'm sorry," Cristina quickly apologized. "I'm just not used to see anyone in here besides Alex and Arizona."

"I kicked them out of the hospital for the night. Truth be told, they both could use a decent shower," Daniel tried to be funny with the ever so serious surgeon as he watched her listen to his grandson's heart. "How is he?" he asked as soon as Cristina removed the stethoscope from Abe's chest.

"And you would be?" Cristina asked before she gave out any information on her young patient.

"His grandfather," Daniel replied sternly. "His parents will be calling soon and I'd like to be able to give them an update."

Cristina was confused as she looked from the very white man in front of her to the very black child in the bed. She had been assuming all along that the patient's family was African like him. She never once considered that he was adopted. "He's doing well. He's holding strong."

Daniel nodded his head, "Good. I can't have anything happen on my watch or Alex and Arizona will never leave the hospital again."

"If you don't mind my asking… where are his parents? I mean, I know I only come by here once a day, if that, but he's been here for two weeks and I haven't met them yet."

Daniel sighed, "Oh I'm sure you've seen them around and just not known it."

Those words resonated in Cristina's head. Arizona had said the same thing over a week earlier about Alex's wife.

Daniel continued to explain the lack of parents in the room, "They've got two other kids so they're spread a little thin. My wife and I are doing our best to help out."

Cristina nodded and moved to leave the room, "Let the nurse know if you need anything over night. It was nice to meet you…grandfather of Abraham." Cristina realized she didn't know the older man's name.

"Daniel," the older man smiled. "Thank you, Doctor Yang."

Every time she walked into Abraham's room she left with some answers but also more confusion. She knew that Alex and Arizona were each married. She had yet to meet Alex's wife who was supposedly around the hospital. She was once sure that Emily was Arizona's wife but as she spent more time with Emily she started to question that fact. And now that Emily had gone back to Boston, she knew that she wasn't Alex's wife. Cristina knew that Alex and Arizona brought the patient from Africa with his parents and brother but had yet to meet his parents but she did just meet his very white grandfather. She knew the answer was staring her in the face but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

**…**

Alex couldn't stop his hand from wandering up and down Arizona's side as she laid her head in his lap. It was such a quiet night that a non-local would have no idea that they were just outside a metropolitan area with almost three and a half million people buzzing around in it. Instead they were in their own private paradise with just the two of them in it. Alex was grateful that it was a quiet Thursday night at Seward Park in Seattle. If it had been a weekend night the place would have been crawling with people and boats but instead they were alone except for the occasional jogger or boat passing by on the water.

They had just finished eating what Alex was glad was still the best pizza in Seattle from his favorite neighborhood pizza parlor and were enjoying the peace and quiet in the park. For the past two weeks they had lived in a room with constant beeping and a television always trained on Nickelodeon or Disney. It was nice to be surrounded by quiet.

Arizona was staring out at the lake when she realized that they hadn't been surrounded by this much quiet since before the twins entered their lives. "Do you ever wish we'd done things in the right order?" Arizona asked without taking her gaze off of the water.

Alex looked down at Arizona and tangled his right hand in her blonde locks, "Right order?"

"Dating then marriage then having the crazy, loud kids. Quiet nights alone without worrying about a toddler bulldozing their way into our bedroom when they're supposed to be asleep. Being able to go out alone more than twice a month," Arizona clarified her statement.

Alex pondered Arizona's comments for a moment. Of course he wished he could have more alone time with his wife but never would he trade his children for that alone time. "I think we did the right order for us. You don't?"

Arizona turned to lie on her back so that she was looking up at her husband. "No, I wouldn't trade our life for anything. I was just enjoying the quiet and couldn't help but wonder what if."

"You'd go crazy with too much quiet, Zo. I know you. You didn't last a whole day before you wanted to go home when we had to go to that conference back in March," Alex smiled as he caressed Arizona's face.

Arizona started to deny his claim but it was useless, she did want to go home almost as soon as they arrived in Atlanta for the conference. Arizona scrunched her nose as she defended herself, "I was seven months pregnant and nesting. All I could focus on was the fact that the nursery wasn't finished yet. I was crazy to not want to enjoy four days of alone time with my husband… with a few presentations sprinkled in there."

Alex brought up another instance in which Arizona couldn't relax and enjoy the peace and quiet without children, "What about our impromptu honeymoon? You called your parents every two hours for updates!"

Arizona huffed and leaned upward on her elbows, "Well, _that_ you just surprised me with so I didn't have time to be prepared. _And_ it was the first time we had ever been away from our fifteen-month-old children of course I was going to be an overbearing parent! You should have given me advanced notice."

"You're blaming me for you being a neurotic pain in your parents' asses?" Alex sat up straighter, "For asking you to marry me for real?"

"Well the whole asking me to marry you thing was great," Arizona smiled and winked as she leaned up to capture Alex's lips.

Alex grinned as Arizona broke the kiss and lay back down in his lap. "I'm glad. I wouldn't want to think that you only said yes because you felt sorry for my pathetic attempt at a proposal."

"It wasn't pathetic, babe," Arizona insisted as she thought back to the day that Alex wanted to make their marriage real.

_Arizona looked around her backyard. It was full of people that had become family over the last two years in Africa. Their neighbors, coworkers and friends. Everyone wanted to celebrate the lives of the two boys that weren't supposed to live an hour and had now lived a full year. They had survived countless close calls and surgeries and were now thriving at home with their parents. As Arizona scanned the backyard she couldn't believe how much her life had changed in the past two years. She couldn't help but stare at the man who was standing next to the grill, sipping on a beer. He had become her rock over the past two years. First as a friend and then as a lover. She couldn't imagine her life without him. She smiled as she watched Alex lean down to pick up one of the now one-year-olds who had crawled his way toward his father. Alex could feel his wife staring at him and shot her a smile as he lifted the little boy's hand up to wave to his mother._

_After cakes were smashed in-between tiny baby fingers and faces were covered in frosting, the party finally began to wind down. Alex loved that they had so many people to celebrate his sons' first birthday with but he also wanted some time to celebrate the day with just the people that matter most – his wife and children._

_Alex leaned his chin on Arizona's shoulder and peered into the crib. The boys had started to fight nap time, like they knew that they were getting older and realizing that naps are for babies. "Looks like it didn't take much for the party animals to get tired out."_

"_They're crashing hard from the sugar high," Arizona laughed as she trailed a finger over Eli's brow. "We'll probably have to wake them up for dinner or else they'll sleep right through it."_

_Alex reached down and grabbed Arizona's hand to lead her out of the nursery. He handed her a beer and the two slumped down onto the couch. "Who knew our one-year-olds' birthday party would be so exhausting."_

"_It was worth it to see you try to pin the tail on the elephant," Arizona yawned as she curled into Alex on the couch. _

"_Or watching Abe throw cake right in your face."_

_Arizona couldn't help but laugh, "He is so the evil twin."_

"_I thought you said that he was the trouble-maker. Not evil?" Alex gave his wife a hard time._

"_I think the cake in the eye pushed him into the evil category. Totally your influence. Weren't you known as Evil Spawn at one point? Now you really do have evil spawn."_

"_That was a long time ago," Alex defended his former moniker. He had finished his beer and noticed that Arizona had too. He decided that it was time to put his plan into action. He stood and took the empty bottle from Arizona's hand and started to clean up the mess that the birthday party had left in their small home._

_Arizona groaned when she saw Alex cleaning. She really just wanted to crash on the couch until nap time was over. She too was tuckered out from the party. But, she couldn't let Alex clean by himself so she pushed herself up off the couch and started grabbing stray wrapping paper that had been tossed aside. "I'll never understand why people spend so much on toys for kids that would rather play with the cardboard box."_

_Alex passed a trash bag over to Arizona, "I was thinking we could take some of their loot and donate it to the clinic. It's not like Abe and Eli will know that it's missing. Plus, I think your mom keeps in business with all the toys she sends all the time."_

_Arizona was touched at Alex's idea to donate some of their children's gifts to the clinic. She hoped that the boys would also have his charitable sense when they were older. As she picked through the paper she noticed there was one gift still unopened. She didn't know that Alex had just planted that as he got up to start cleaning. "How in the world did we miss one?" Arizona asked as she held up the small box to Alex for inspection. Alex shrugged and went back to cleaning. Arizona examined the gift, "There's no name or card on it."_

_Alex moved to stand next to Arizona who was still staring at the box curiously, "Why don't you just open it?"_

_Alex stared as he watched Arizona open the gift. He had no idea what her reaction would be. Things had been great over the last few months between the couple. They made the transition from friends to lovers seamlessly. Alex loved falling asleep and waking up with Arizona in his arms every day. He wanted it to happen every day. He still couldn't help but be nervous at what he was about to do. _

"_It's a jewelry box," Arizona said after getting the wrapping paper off the box. She looked up at Alex curiously, "Who gives a baby jewelry?" _

_Alex pushed, "Zo, why don't you just open it and see what is inside instead of questioning it?"_

_Arizona had the box open before Alex could finish the sentence. She looked at the box and almost dropped it when she saw the gorgeous diamond solitaire sitting in it. Her mouth hung open as she looked at the ring, at Alex and then back at the ring. "Wha –? Alex…" Arizona managed to get out of her shocked mouth._

_Alex plucked the box from her shaking hands. He took the ring out and held between his fingers. "I know what you're thinking. We're already married. So stop shaking because this isn't a marriage proposal," Alex watched Arizona's mood change from shock to sadness and quickly continued on with his rehearsed speech. "This is a 'don't divorce me' proposal." Alex grinned when he felt Arizona's spirits begin to lift again. "I don't want you to be my ex-wife. Ever. So, will you please not divorce me? And marry me again…this time for real… with our friends and family present. You deserve that. A real wedding. A real marriage." Alex took the ring that he had been holding and placed it on Arizona's ring finger, "And a real ring."_

_Arizona was stunned from the moment she opened the jewelry box. She expected some sort of toy when she tore off the wrapping paper. She definitely did not expect a 'don't divorce me' ring. She was so stunned that she couldn't form the words to answer Alex's question. She kept looking between the ring that was now on her finger and the man that was now looking worriedly at her. Finally after what seemed like a lifetime to Alex, Arizona found her voice again. "I don't want to divorce you either," she whispered._

_Alex let out a giddy laugh and pulled Arizona into his arms. "I love you," he whispered into her hair._

"_I love you too," she sighed. She loved the feeling of being enveloped in his arms. "You really want to do a real wedding even though we're already married?"_

"_I do," Alex smiled as he hugged her tighter. "I want to have the honor of pretending not to cry as I see you walking down an aisle in a white dress toward me, on your father's arm." Alex pulled back to capture Arizona in a searing kiss, "Plus, I already asked your dad for permission…again. And I think he would be upset if he didn't get the chance to give you away. He can be a big softie when it comes to his 'baby girl.'"_

"_You talked to my dad without being forced to?"_

_Alex pulled away from Arizona and grabbed her hands in his, "I learned my lesson the first time about not asking permission before I wanted to marry his daughter."_

"_I love you," Arizona said as she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled herself up to his lips and murmured, "I think this calls for some celebrating before nap time is over."_

"_I like the way you think, Mrs. Karev." Alex bent down and to pick Arizona up. He wasted no time in kissing his wife and carrying her to their bedroom._

Arizona looked at her right hand which always wore the sapphire ring that Alex had first proposed to her when they first decided to get married. Then she looked toward her left hand and the diamond solitaire that now rested with her diamond eternity band from their real wedding. "If I get bling like this every time you propose, then you can keep asking me not to divorce you all you want."

Alex pushed Arizona off of his lap in jest, "I see. All I'm good for is buying you shiny things."

"Shiny things and holding my hand and being the best father to our children," Arizona mumbled as she crawled back into Alex's arms and settled in his lap. She started sucking on his neck as she shifted her weight right where she knew he would feel it best. Arizona nipped at his earlobe, "I'll show you just what else you are good for if you want to take me back to the hotel."

Not wanting to waste any of their night alone together, they quickly packed up their things and headed back to the car. Even with their minds on much dirtier things they still took a few moments to call Daniel at the hospital and check in on Abraham who was still doing well and then they made a short call to Barbara who had just put the kids down for the night. Knowing that everyone was safely tucked into bed allowed the parents to enjoy their night with less worry.

As they took the elevator up to their eighth floor room, Alex found it difficult to keep his hands off of his wife. They weren't alone in the elevator so that meant that he had to control himself. He locked his hands behind his back so that he wouldn't be tempted to reach out and grab her. He couldn't stop his eyes from stealing glances at her as the elevator slowly made its rise. He noticed Arizona subtly let her shirt rise up to give a peek of the skin on her stomach. Under the guise of being hot she also put her hair into a ponytail and unbuttoned a few buttons on her shirt to let Alex get a look at her neckline that plunged into her cleavage. Alex was happy that there were only two more floors to go because he didn't think he could keep his hands off of her for very long.

As soon as the hotel room door shut behind them, Alex's hands landed on Arizona's hips and guided her straight toward the bed. He gently pushed her down and lovingly gazed at her sprawled out on the bed beneath him. He always wondered how he got so lucky to have her in his life. He caught himself staring and smirked at the blonde underneath him who was beckoning him closer to her with her finger. He happily obliged her and crawled on top of her, ready to have his way with her all night.

**…**

The sun shone brightly into the hotel room waking up the sleeping couple. It was the first time in years that they had been woken up naturally and not by an alarm or a child. Arizona squinted and rubbed her eyes as she woke up and fumbled to find the clock on the nightstand. _Eight in the morning_. Arizona laughed to herself and rolled over to stare at the half naked man next to her that was slowly waking up as well. She loved the way her husband looked in the early morning. She loved the way his short hair stuck up everywhere. She loved the morning stubble on his chin. She loved the way he rubbed his eyes like a child. The only thing she didn't love was the morning breath but she knew that she was guilty of that too.

"What's so funny this early in the morning?" Alex grumbled as he pulled Arizona on top of his body.

"It's eight in the morning and it's the latest we've slept-in in ages. We are officially old," Arizona mumbled as she left a trail of kisses from Alex's ear to neck.

"Mmm," Alex moaned as he pulled Arizona's hips down on him as he grinded upward. "That gives us two hours before we're allowed back at the hospital."

Arizona sat up and pulled off her tank top, "How about a shower then maybe we could steal some kiddos and have breakfast with them before we go to the hospital."

Alex couldn't think clearly with Arizona's naked boobs in front of him. He always thought they were perfect but ever since she was pregnant they were even more magnificent. They were begging to be touched and played with. He vaguely heard his wife saying something about their day but she would have to repeat herself when she was fully clothed. All he could do at that moment was to follow the blonde bombshell from the bed into the shower.

After some water aerobics in the shower, Arizona called her mother who was more than happy to bring her grandbabies to see their parents. Alex took care of calling for enough room service to feed the adults as well as a growing little boy who, even though he had already eaten, would no doubt still want to eat more.

Arizona rushed to the door to greet her mother who had her hands full. After only eighteen hours of being child-free she was more than ready to see her babies again. Barbara passed the kids into their parents care after giving a brief status report and headed to the hospital to be with her own husband and little Abe.

Eli ran right past his mother once the door to the hotel room opened and right to the bed where Alex was lounging watching the latest on ESPN Sportscenter.

"Oof!" Alex gasped dramatically as Eli jumped on the bed and crawled his way up to his father to give him a kiss and snuggle into his arms. "I missed you too E."

Arizona cradled Della in her arms and sat in the chair near the bed, waiting for the room service to arrive, content to watch Alex teach Eli about American football. Once room service arrived, waffles were passed liberally between Arizona, Alex and Eli. Alex looked between Eli who had strawberry stains on his t-shirt and syrup all over his face to his wife who also had syrup on her face and strawberry stains on her tank top. They were so alike it was uncanny – both very messy eaters but he loved them anyway.

After a messy breakfast, Alex took the opportunity to bathe Eli so that he didn't look like a pig all day while Arizona got to partake in one of her favorite activities – breastfeeding her daughter. She had missed the bonding time since they had been in Seattle. Due to Della spending most of her nights with her grandparents, Della was getting more and more bottles of pumped milk than the goods straight from the source. Arizona loved the quiet and peaceful time that she got when she was feeding Della. She was in the middle of telling her daughter all about how her daddy had taken her mommy on a fantastic date the night before when Eli barreled out of the bathroom and back onto the bed intent to find cartoons on the television.

Alex followed his son out of the bathroom and took a spot on the bed next to Arizona.

"You're so beautiful," Alex pressed a kiss to her temple before bending lower to place a kiss on his daughter's head, "So are you, baby girl."

Alex was content to watch the mother of his children feed their daughter. It wasn't about staring at his wife's breasts it was about the beauty of the moment. He was too busy staring to notice that Della had finished her morning snack and was now being handed off to him for burping.

"Alex!" Arizona admonished as she saw that his gaze was still on her chest. "You've seen them before. Multiple times yesterday and this morning." She moved to pull the strap of her tank top back up, covering herself up and eliciting a pout from her husband.

Alex shrugged his shoulders as he took the baby and rested her on his shoulder. "I can't help it that you're beautiful." Arizona jumped off the bed to finish getting ready for the day while Alex was busy rubbing circles on Della's back trying to get her to burp.

After a few moments Arizona peeked out of the bathroom, "Ready to get back to the hospital?"

Alex shifted his gaze from the television to the blonde standing in the doorway with her bag and the kids' bags on her shoulder. He smiled, "Sure thing." Alex turned off the television eliciting a groan from his son. "We're gonna go see Abe, bud."

"Abe time? Yes!" Eli celebrated by running toward the hotel door, anxious to see his brother.

Arizona latched on to Eli's good hand and waited for Alex to take her other hand as they exited the hotel room and headed toward the hospital. They were refreshed from having a night to themselves and ready to face another day of waiting for a heart.

**…**

Once they arrived at the hospital, Arizona and Alex split up. Arizona went straight to Teddy's office to get the latest update on Abraham's condition while Alex took the kids to Abe's room.

All of the sugar Elijah had for breakfast was starting to hit him. He was antsy and hyper. As soon as the elevator doors opened on the pediatric floor, Eli took off running toward what he thought was Abraham's room. Alex was so caught off guard by Eli's escape that it took him a few seconds to get his feet moving to chase down his son.

"Elijah Michael! Stop running!" Alex shouted down the hallway not caring about the stares that he was receiving. Using his son's full name was a sure fire way to get the boy to slow down but it didn't make him stop completely.

As Alex was running down the hall as fast as he could with his daughter in his arms he noticed April jump out in front of Eli's path to stop him from going any further.

"Where are you going little guy?" April asked as she crouched down to the child's level.

"Brother," Eli mumbled. His eyes were already watering because he knew he was going to be in trouble as soon as his father reached him.

Alex walked up next to his son and April slowly stood from her crouched position. Eli looked up at his father with his brown tear-filled eyes. "You don't run off like that, Elijah," Alex gently but firmly told his son.

Eli sniffled and looked down at his feet, "Sorry, Daddy."

April's eyes shot to look at Alex when she heard the little boy call Alex daddy.

Alex ignored April's stares and crouched down to Eli's level. "No games until after lunch."

"Daddy," Eli whined trying to get him to lessen the punishment.

"You broke a rule. You know better. You stay close to me or Mama. What if someone had grabbed you and taken you away. Mama and I would be very sad if we didn't have you. Okay?" Alex pressed a kiss to Eli's forehead.

"Yes, sir," Eli accepted defeat.

Alex stood and took the little hand that Eli held out for him. "Thanks for stopping him, April," Alex smiled at his friend before turning his family around to head in the right direction of Abraham's room.

April stood rooted her spot in the hallway taking in the scene that she just witnessed. "Cristina is going to love this," she mumbled to herself before taking out her cell phone to text her friend. She attempted to send the text but it didn't go through. She was in a dead zone in the hospital. As she moved to find Cristina personally, April thought as to what the little boy being Alex's meant. It meant that he was also the parent of the patient that needed a new heart desperately. She wasn't a parent so she didn't know what Alex was going through but she knew that it wasn't easy. She turned around instead of attempting to find Cristina. She knew that whatever Alex was going through – he didn't need his friends to be bugging him with questions about his family; he needed to focus on his children. April decided not to tell Cristina what she knew out of respect for Alex's privacy.

**…**


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I hope everyone had a great weekend. This is a bit shorter than usual but it was either one long update or two shorter ones this week. Please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

Arizona was attempting to read the latest edition of _African Journal of Paediatric Surgery_ when she kept hearing grunts coming from the hospital bed next to her. She thought that if she ignored it, she wouldn't have to deal with what she knew was coming – the tantrum. She kept trying to read the same sentence but each time she was interrupted by another grunt. She refused to look at her son and kept her gaze trained on the journal in front of her.

Finally, Abe got tired of his passive-aggressive way of getting his mother's attention. "Mama, I'm bored," Abe whined.

Arizona sighed and put the journal down. "I know you are bubba. Do you want to watch Elmo?"

"No," Abe shook his head.

"Cars?"

"No," Abe pouted.

"Yo Gabba? Spongebob? Diego?" Arizona spouted off the list of cartoons she knew her son loved to watch.

"No!" Abe sighed. He wanted to yell but he knew that would only make his Mama angry.

Arizona sensed an impending meltdown from her son and got up to lie next to him on the bed, "Abraham…what do you want to do? You have to help me out a little bit here. I'm not a mind reader, you know?"

"I wanna go home."

"I do too, bubba."

"Then let's go," Abe said simply like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Arizona pulled Abe closer to her body and rested her chin on his head, "We can't go home until Aunt Teddy says it's okay."

Just then the door to the hospital room opened and Teddy walked in.

"Did someone say my name?" Teddy asked as she picked up Abe's chart.

Abe was quick to answer his godmother's question, "Mama did! She says we can go home if you say okay."

Arizona rolled her eyes and got off the bed so that Teddy could complete her exam on her son, "I said we can go home when Aunt Teddy says it is okay."

Teddy smiled and took a few minutes to check Abe's incisions and listen to his heart. "Well, Mr. Abraham. I need to take you to do some more tests later today but assuming those come back as good as they did the other day then I see no reason why you can't go home by the end of the week."

Abe swiftly moved to envelop his godmother in a hug. "Promise?" Abe asked with his best puppy dog eyes.

"No promises. You just rest up so that you can do your best on the tests later today. And stop bugging your Mama about being bored," Teddy winked to Arizona.

Teddy headed for the door and Arizona followed. "I'll be right back, Abe. Stay in bed!" she commanded to her son.

Once the door was shut, Arizona turned to her best friend. "You really think he's okay to fly back to Boston?"

Teddy nodded, "His body is pretty much fully healed. I'd like it if Emily was flying back with you guys just in case."

"I can make that happen. I am her boss after all." Arizona paused, "Where are we on the transplant?"

Teddy reached out to rub her friend's arm in a sign of comfort, "It's just a waiting game now. We could get a call in two hours or it could be two months. He's at the top of the list."

"I know," Arizona quickly wiped away a tear that fell from her eye, "I know. As a doctor I know these things…"

"But as a parent," Teddy finished the phrase for her friend.

Arizona nodded, "As a parent – all of my medical knowledge goes flying out of my head when I see him on that hospital bed."

Teddy tugged her friend in for a hug. "We'll get a heart. And either I'll fly out to you or you guys will come out here but we're going to get it and I will be there every step of the way."

**…**

Alex and Arizona were enjoying a quiet, late dinner with Della in the cafeteria while Barbara sat with Abe for a few hours. It was after eight in the evening so the hospital was operating at graveyard levels. With most of the staff gone home for the night, it made for a very peaceful and relaxing dinner for the husband and wife. They didn't worry so much about someone seeing them being openly affectionate. By now, they assumed most everyone had figured out that they were together. Too many nurses knew for it not to be common knowledge. They didn't care who knew as long as they were still able to focus on their son. What they didn't know was that the nurses were fiercely loyal to the former attending surgeon who was always nice to them so they didn't gossip about her current marital status.

Alex had spent the day with Eli and Della so the pair was busy catching each other up on their respective days with the children over dinner.

"Teddy says that Abe should be able to be discharged by the end of the week," Arizona informed Alex between bites as she used her other hand to feed Della a bottle.

"You sure you want to go back to Boston?" Alex questioned. He and Arizona had been debating for the last two weeks whether they would return home or wait for the transplant in Seattle. Arizona was most concerned with something happening to Abe during the five hour flight back to the East coast.

Arizona nodded as she finished taking a sip of her drink. "I think we all need to be home. Abe and Eli are more than ready. Poor Daniella is almost three months and she has no sense of schedule or any idea where home even is to her." Arizona sighed as she twirled her fork, "We all need to get back to some sense of normalcy with work and life."

"You're going to go back to work?" Alex sounded surprised. He figured that Arizona wouldn't want to go back to work until Abe was one hundred percent better.

"Not full time and neither are you." Alex quirked his eyebrows at his wife wanting her to explain herself. "We need to spend as much time with Abe as possible but I don't want to be overbearing. I can do a lot from home – paperwork-wise. And we can both go in and do surgeries as needed until we get the transplant."

Alex reached out and took Arizona's hand in hers. "That sounds good to me. When will Teddy know for sure when we can leave?"

"Not sure. Probably tomorrow," Arizona shrugged. Arizona noticed a tall figure appear behind her husband. "You can ask her yourself."

"Hey," Teddy and Mark greeted the pair as they joined them at their cafeteria table.

"Were your ears burning?" Arizona asked. "Every time I've said your name today you appear out of nowhere."

Teddy chuckled, "I'm just that good. What were you talking about me for this time?"

"Alex was just wondering when you'd give the okay for us to take Abe back to Boston."

Teddy looked up from her plate, "I'll have all of the test results back by the time I get in tomorrow morning. You guys that anxious to get away from Seattle already?"

"Boston is way better than Seattle," Alex smiled.

Mark agreed, "Even I have to agree with Karev on that one. Boston is one heck of a city."

"But there's so much snow," Teddy whined to her boyfriend.

"I'd take the snow any day over the rain," Mark mused. He would always be an East Coaster at heart. "Have you ever been in the summer?"

"No, I've only really been once for Christmas a few years ago."

Mark put down his apple, "That's your problem, Teddy. Who in their right mind would visit Boston in the winter?"

"It was for their wedding," Teddy answered while nodding her head toward Alex and Arizona.

Mark looked at Alex and Arizona who simply shrugged their shoulders. "I thought you two got married in Africa?"

"We did," Alex smiled as he rubbed his finger over his wedding band. "Then we got married again in Boston."

"I'm confused," Mark looked toward Teddy for clarification.

Teddy patted his hand and smiled, "It's okay. You just sit there and look pretty."

"We got married because we had to in Africa. We got married because we wanted to in Boston," Arizona explained.

Alex turned to Teddy, "You're lucky you only had to show up for the wedding. I spent the three days before that waiting for her father to shoot me. He literally threatened me with a gun."

Arizona rolled her eyes and punched Alex in the arm, "It was a hunting rifle and it was mounted on the wall behind him as he had a fatherly chat with you. Hardly threatening you with a gun, Alex."

"I was there and you weren't," Alex quipped as he took Della from Arizona to burp her. "It's all because you let me sleep in the first morning in your parents' home."

_Arizona was running around her house like crazy. She was grabbing clothes off of the clothes line and throwing them into her bedroom. She kept checking her watch wondering where her husband was – they needed to leave the house in less than two hours and he still wasn't home. She stopped to take a quick peek into the nursery; thankfully her two children were still asleep. She couldn't handle all of the last minute travel preparations by herself if they were awake._

_In her bedroom she had three suitcases on the bed that were each half full. It wasn't until they started packing for the trip that they realized that after two years in Africa they really didn't have any appropriate clothing to wear to Boston in winter. They would have to go shopping once they arrived. One suitcase was devoted solely to the twins. For a fourteen day trip they would require the most supplies of the family. Between multiple outfits a day due to spills, blankies and stuffed animals that they couldn't sleep without and toys for entertainment their stash would fill their suitcase easily._

_Arizona was looking through her closet once more trying to will a sweater or a jacket to magically appear when she heard an apologetic voice behind her._

"_Sorry, sorry," Alex said as he leaned in to give her a kiss hello. "I've been trying to get out of there for four hours now."_

"_It's okay," Arizona replied. "Everything good at the clinic?"_

"_If you're asking if it will survive without you? Then yes it will because we both deserve two weeks off after two years of non-stop work." Alex pulled Arizona into a hug, "Now go shower while I finish packing."_

_It was their first time traveling with children. They planned a two hour buffer into their travel schedule to account for any delays that might pop up because of the children. To their credit, they had plenty of time to spare at the airport before they caught their first flight. They had a long couple of days of travel ahead of them. They had to fly to Lilongwe to Johannesburg to London before finally arriving in Boston. Four flights with two fifteen-month olds. Alex thought this trip would be more a test of their sanity than anything else. The family made it to London without any real problems. Between both parents it was fairly easy to calm the boys when they got fussy. Walking them around the back of the plane seemed to help as well. It was on the flight from London to Boston that the nerves started to hit Alex and Arizona. This would be the first time that Alex would meet his in-laws. He would be meeting his very tough and no-nonsense father-in-law. Arizona would be introducing her family to her new family. She was worried about how the meeting would go down. On top of it all – they were getting married, again. They decided to have a small ceremony at the Robbins' family home with their family and close friends. _

_The plane had touched down fifteen minutes late. Alex and Arizona slowly gathered their family's belongings. Alex flung a backpack on his back before they each took one of the car seats as they headed out of the plane and into the airport terminal. They had a short walk before they would see Daniel, Barbara and Emily Robbins waiting for them at baggage claim. _

_Abe and Eli were wide awake after landing and ready to be released from their personal prison of their car seats. Legs and arms were flailing everywhere and their soft cries were getting louder. _

"_You would think they knew that they're about to be spoiled rotten for the next week," Alex commented as he glanced down at the boys. _

_Arizona gave a small smile. Alex could tell she was nervous about how the meeting was going to go. "You sure you want to do this?"_

"_You're not backing out on me, are you, Zo?"_

"_No," Arizona shook her head. "Definitely not. Just ready to get this over with."_

_Alex tugged his arm around Arizona's shoulder as they walked onto the escalator that would take them down to the baggage claim, "Your dad can't be that bad."_

"_You have no idea," Arizona muttered to herself._

_As soon as they reached the bottom of the escalator, Alex's head was spinning. Before he knew it, the car seat carrier he had been carrying was ripped from his hand by a petite older graying blonde who immediately started cooing at the babies. A slightly taller, younger version of his wife had pounced on Arizona as soon as Barbara Robbins had taken the car seat carrier from her hand. Behind them all, an intimidating man stoodwith his arms crossed and grunted as Alex approached him and stuck out his hand to shake it. Alex Karev had just met his in-laws. _

_The car ride to the Robbins' family home was loud but neither man in the car spoke much. It was difficult to get a word in between all three Robbins women in the car. Alex would chime in when a question was posed to him but otherwise he kept his mouth shut and his eyes and ears open as he took in his new family. _

_Luckily, for Alex and Arizona the couple arrived in Boston at nine o'clock in the evening local time. With their long days of travel Barbara insisted that they go straight to bed so that everyone would be well rested for the upcoming week_

"_My mom loves you," Arizona said as she spit her toothpaste out in the sink._

_Alex quirked his eyebrows as he finished brushing his teeth. "How do you know that?"_

"_She said so when you were unloading luggage with my dad." Arizona slapped his ass as she walked by and into her old bedroom, "Apparently you are very handsome in person."_

_Alex stifled a chuckle, "I don't think your dad feels the same way."_

"_He'll come around. Once he interrogates you."_

_Alex pulled back the comforter on the bed, "Interrogates me?"_

"_I'm sure he's had a background check run on you," Arizona got into bed and waited for her husband to join her._

"_Background check," Alex choked on his words. He knew that his background was very interesting and not very father friendly._

_Arizona rubbed her hand on Alex's chest. "Don't worry. He knows you didn't have the best childhood. He cares more about how you've overcome your past and how you intend to treat his amazing daughter and grandchildren."_

_Alex closed his eyes and sighed. This was supposed to be his vacation. It had been a very long two days and was only going to get longer. _

_Arizona snuggled closer and laid her head on Alex's chest leaving a soft kiss where her lips rested. "It'll all be okay. Let's just get some sleep before the munchkins wake us up in a few hours." _

**…**

_Alex groaned as he rolled over in the bed. His arm reached out to feel for his wife but he was met with cold and empty sheets. After feeling the absence of his wife in the bed, his eyes darted open. He scanned the room for some type of clock and found an alarm clock on the nightstand next to Arizona's side of the bed. It was seven in the morning. He could hear laughter and chatter coming from the other side of the bedroom door. Alex groaned again. His first full day with his in-laws and he slept-in while his wife must have gotten up to take care of the children. Alex knew that Colonel Robbins was judging his every move and sleeping in was not a good move to make. Alex quickly hopped out of bed and reached for a pair of jeans and a shirt. He was not about to go out into the Robbins' living room in his boxers._

_Alex slowly left the confines and safety of the bedroom. He was so exhausted when they got in last night that he didn't really take in the house and its layout so he followed the voices. As he walked down the stairs he noticed the family pictures along the stairwell as he descended. He smiled as he saw pictures of Arizona throughout her lifetime. His smile got even wider when he noticed a picture of himself, Arizona and the twins amongst all of the family pictures._

_After making a wrong turn, Alex eventually found everyone in the kitchen. Daniel was standing behind the stove making pancakes while the women gossiped around the kitchen table. Arizona was sipping on a cup of coffee while Emily and Barbara both held a baby in their arms._

_Eli was the first to notice his father's presence. "Dada," he said as he reached his arms out for his father._

_Arizona turned her head and smiled at Alex. "Good morning, sleepy head."_

"_You shouldn't have let me sleep so late," Alex said as he took Eli from his new sister-in-law._

"_I don't think seven counts as sleeping late," Emily laughed as she handed over the baby._

_Barbara smiled at the gurgling boy in her hands, "It is when you have kids, Emily."_

_Arizona offered Alex her mug of coffee and got up to get another for herself while Barbara questioned Alex about how well he slept the night before. Between pancake flips, Daniel kept glancing at the man sitting at his kitchen table as he tried to figure out his new son-in-law. While Daniel wasn't happy to see that Alex had the nerve to sleep in while his wife was up taking care of their children he also couldn't help but notice how easy and relaxed he was with Elijah in his arms. Eli was smiling and laughing as Alex was tickling the little boy and feeding him small bites of pancakes. He also noticed the way his daughter gazed at the man and how he looked back at her. They looked at each other with such love and affection that it was hard to ignore._

_After breakfast the family got ready for the day. This was the part of the trip that Alex was dreading the most. The girls had plans to spend the day shopping with the babies while Alex was enlisted to help Daniel find a Christmas tree. The Robbins family didn't just go to a lot to get their tree – they ventured out to cut one down themselves. Alex wasn't thrilled at the idea of being alone with his Marine Corps father-in-law in the woods; especially when the Colonel would be wielding a saw. _

"_Please don't leave me alone with him," Alex begged as he wrapped his arms around Arizona's waist to prevent her from opening up the bedroom door and leaving to go shopping with her mother and sister._

_Arizona turned in his arms, "Babe, he's harmless."_

"_What if he kills me? He looks at me with that look… the one that says 'I know you're having sex with my daughter.'"_

"_I promise you, he won't kill you," Arizona said as she pressed a kiss to the pouting lips in front of her._

"_How can you be so sure?" Alex continued to look distressed._

_Arizona laughed and hugged Alex tightly, "If he killed you, then I'd have to kill him – because I have no desire to be a single parent. And he's the one that taught me my ninja skills so he knows that I can do it."_

_Alex let out a nervous laugh and held his wife closer, depositing a kiss on the top of her head. A knock from outside the room startled the couple from their embrace. "Zona, let's go. We're waiting on you!" Emily shouted through the wooden door._

"_I love you," Arizona said as she pulled out of the hug. "I'll see you in a few hours." She leaned in closer to nibble on his lip, "And if you're lucky maybe I'll come home with something for you too."_

_Alex grumbled and took the hand his wife offered as she led them out of the bedroom and back downstairs. Alex helped load the boys in the car and leaned in to kiss his wife goodbye. "You owe me," he whispered to her before adding, "love you."_

_Alex turned around after saying goodbye and saw Daniel standing in the doorway with a scowl on his face. "Let's get this over with," he muttered under his breath as he walked back up the path toward the intimidating man on the porch._

"_Sir, I'm ready when you are," Alex said as he got closer to the porch. He was trying his best to be respectful to the senior Robbins. He knew how close Arizona was to her family and didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that relationship._

_Daniel's surly look didn't budge from his face. "I just need to get some things from my office," Daniel grunted before turning around and walking into the house. Alex stood on the porch afraid to move. Daniel noticed the absence of his son-in-law, "Follow me."_

_Alex entered Daniel's office and immediately noticed the sword, rifle and various deer heads mounted on the walls. Alex audibly gulped as he continued to take in the various pictures and citations from the man's military career. _

_Daniel moved to stand behind his desk. He didn't even pretend to be looking for anything on it. "Sit," he barked as he nodded his head toward the chair opposite the desk._

_Alex immediately did as he was told. He couldn't help his leg from trembling. The man in front of him was intimidating by himself let alone with a gun hanging over his head. Daniel didn't say anything for several minutes as he stared at the young man in front of him. He thought he'd never have to do this for Arizona – intimidate a significant other. As hardcore as Daniel was, he couldn't use the same tactics on a female so all of Arizona's previous suitors had escaped his death glare._

_Finally Daniel got straight to the point. "I've seen your record. It's impressive."_

"_I can explain and I haven't been arrested in a very long time - over fifteen years," Alex immediately tried to defend himself._

_Daniel raised his hand and Alex immediately quieted. "It's impressive that you've become a doctor after everything you've had to overcome. An excellent doctor as my daughter tells me. I can trust that all of your previous indiscretions are in your past?"_

"_Yes, sir." Alex decided to keep his responses short and to the point._

"_I've also seen that you are divorced. That leads me to believe that you don't take marriage seriously. What do you have to say about that?"_

_Alex nodded, "I take it very seriously. I was married. We got married fairly spontaneously but I meant my vows. I intended to be with her for the rest of my life. But, she left me. She left me when she thought I turned my back on her but really I was looking out for her. She had cancer and I was trying to help her get better..."_

"_Arizona has explained it to me," Daniel interrupted. "I know that you two got married because of the boys but now that marriage has turned into the real thing at least according to her."_

_It was Alex's turn to interrupt, "To me too, Sir. I love your daughter more than anything. I want to spend the rest of my life loving her if she lets me."_

_Daniel continued the questioning, "You don't have any family coming to the ceremony this weekend. How can I trust you to take care of my family when you don't have any experience with it?"_

"_That's exactly why you can trust me. I didn't have a father. I barely had a mother. I want my kids to have everything that I didn't have. I didn't have a father to teach me to play sports. Or to teach me how to ride a bike or fix a car. I want to be there for all of those moments. Not just the big things but the little things too. I can't imagine not being there to tuck them in every night. The best part of my day is coming home and making dinner with Arizona and having quiet time with Eli and Abe." By the end of his speech Alex was smiling just thinking about the quality time he shared with his family._

"_You see the gun behind me?" Daniel questioned without taking his eyes off of Arizona's._

_Alex gulped and nodded, "Yes, Sir."_

_Daniel leaned across the desk so that he was eye-to-eye with Alex. "If you hurt my daughter or my grandchildren in any way, I don't need that gun to make you disappear. They would never find you. Understood?"_

"_Yes, Sir." Alex replied, not wavering from the stare down he was receiving from his father-in-law._

_Daniel smiled and stood. He walked around to Alex and patted him on the shoulder. "Okay then. Let's go get a tree."_

_Alex visibly relaxed as Daniel softened toward him. They walked out of the office and headed toward the garage. As Alex buckled his seatbelt he felt Daniel's eyes on him again. _

"_Can you keep a secret?" The serious tone had returned in Daniel's voice and scared Alex._

"_Yes," Alex managed to choke out._

_Daniel loved being able to have such power over Alex. The boy was truly scared of him. Daniel knew he couldn't abuse the power but he would certainly have fun with it. He knew that Alex would eventually learn that he was harmless. "I haven't gone out and chopped down a tree in twenty years. Tim and I used to just say we did and we'd go grab one from the corner lot. Then we'd spend a few hours at the bar watching football. With those three girls in the house, we'd never have control over the TV. The Pats are playing in an hour – you up for it?"_

_Alex laughed. He had not expected that reveal when the Colonel asked him if he could keep a secret. "Yeah. Definitely. Brady is still a great player even with that girly haircut."_

"_You're telling me. What is with grown men looking like girls these days?" Daniel continued ranting on the current state of men's fashion for a good five minutes._

_After their talk in the office Alex and Daniel had an enjoyable afternoon together at the local sports bar before picking up a tree from the local Boy Scout troop and heading home to their girls. Alex was still intimidated by his father-in-law and a little part always would be, but after that day, they also became father and son._

"Can you keep a secret?" Arizona asked Alex.

Alex smiled at the words as he thought back to the secret that he had just shared with Arizona and the table. "Yes, ma'am."

"We've knew about Dad's Christmas tree shopping at the sports bar for years. We drove by one time and saw his truck there. We put it together when he and Tim came home smelling like beer with chicken wing stains on their shirts."

"Well, don't tell your Dad. He likes the tradition," Alex said in a fake whisper.

Arizona shrugged, "I wouldn't want to ruin your guys' traditions. As long as when you start taking the boys with you, you don't take them to Hooters."

"Deal," Alex shifted a sleepy Della from his right to his left arm and reached his right out to shake Arizona's hand.

The shifting position caused Della to start fussing. Teddy immediately held out her hands to take the little baby but instead Mark's hands got a hold of the baby first. Mark lifted her up and proceeded to make funny faces at the girl.

"She's adorable. I miss having one this small," Mark cooed at Della.

Arizona couldn't help but notice the look of longing on her best friend's face as Teddy watched Mark with the baby.

"They grow up quickly, don't they?" Arizona said rhetorically as she played with her daughter's toes.

"Too quickly," Mark smiled as he handed the baby to Teddy.

The foursome spent the next few minutes laughing as Teddy asked Alex to recount just how Daniel threatened him one more time. Teddy knew that as a former Marine, Daniel could be tough she had just never seen it. She saw Daniel as the man who would sing the theme song to Spongebob with the boys not the man who would threaten to make Alex disappear.

Meredith stood at the back of the cafeteria watching the weird foursome laugh over their dinner. Mark, Teddy, Alex and Arizona were four people that she would have never put at the same table four years ago. Various permutations of them, definitely but not all four at the same time. Mark was the odd man out. Meredith wondered just what Mark had to do with everyone. She also wondered how Callie would feel about his friendliness with her ex-girlfriend. It wasn't her place to spread the gossip though. Since adopting her daughter, work was just a job; it wasn't the only thing in her life. She was anxious to get home in time to say goodnight to her daughter so instead of going to Cristina with the latest update on Alex and Arizona, she instead went home.

**…**


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

"That's not weird to you?" Mark asked Teddy as he watched the other couple retreat. Alex had his arm wrapped around Arizona's shoulders as they walked toward the elevators to return to their son's room for the night.

Teddy laughed and tugged Mark toward the hospital exit, "I've had over two years to get used to it. They're really good for each other. They really love each other. They're like Barbie and Ken and the perfect Barbie family."

Mark was still curious as the pair made the walk across the street to Mark's apartment. "What does Alex have?" Mark ticked his fingers as he counted, "I mean he got Izzie the super model. The crazy but hot chick from the ferry crash. Lexie kept running back to him. He even slept with Callie's OB that looked like she was one of Charlie's freaking Angels. And now he's got the lesbian?"

"Technically she's bi now."

"Bi?" Mark raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah," Teddy said as she pushed open the door to Mark's apartment. "She still likes girls. That didn't go away just because she developed feelings for a guy." Teddy shook her head as she thought about a memory from a couple of years prior. "We actually all went out to a strip club for their combined bachelor and bachelorette parties in Boston. Arizona definitely enjoyed the strip club just as much as Alex did."

"I still don't get why everyone falls for Alex Karev," Mark muttered as he grabbed two bottles of beer from the fridge and joined Teddy on the couch.

"He's got a nice body," Teddy smirked.

"You really just said that to me?" Mark questioned lightly as he pushed Teddy back against the couch and climbed on top of her. He nipped on her ear, "Really? I'll show you a nice body." Mark quickly shed his clothes and ridded Teddy of hers as he was content to forget about Alex Karev and Arizona's new found sexuality and instead focus on his own love life with the woman next to him.

**…**

The hospital room felt unusually quiet. Abraham was snoozing peacefully in bed. Only occasionally would he announce his presence with a muffled snore. The machines that kept track of his vitals were still going but the occupants of the room were so used to them that it was nothing more than white noise to them.

It was still fairly early – before ten o'clock at night. Too early for Arizona and Alex to go to sleep. Instead, Alex was trying to read the very same journal that Abraham kept his mother from finishing that morning. Arizona was laid out on the couch with her head in Alex's lap and reading a Dr. Seuss book to Della as she dozed.

Alex noticed that he hadn't heard any rhyming about fish come out of Arizona's mouth for several minutes. He took his eyes off of the journal and peeked down at his wife. He assumed that he would find her sleeping because she had been so quiet. Instead he found her staring off into space as she was lightly rubbing Della's back.

Alex rested his journal against his chest and reached down to stroke Arizona's cheek. "Whatcha thinking about?"

Arizona slowly rolled her head so that she was looking into her favorite pair of eyes. "Wha?" she mumbled, still in a haze.

Alex moved his thumb across Arizona's lips, "Where were you? You seemed like you were a million miles away."

"Mmm," Arizona smiled as she snuggled down deeper into Alex's lap. "I was just thinking back about that Boston trip. Talking about it over dinner brought back all of those memories."

"It was a good trip," Alex agreed. "What was your favorite part?"

Arizona pretended to think for a moment. "The honeymoon"

"Really?"

"It wasn't for you?" Arizona questioned shocked that anything else about that trip could be his favorite. The three days they spent holed up in a Vermont ski resort were nothing but perfection.

Alex bent his head down to kiss the perfect lips of his wife. "I'd say marrying you."

"That was good too," Arizona said nonchalantly.

_Arizona was pacing in her bedroom. She didn't know why she agreed to this. They were already married. She wondered why she thought it was a great idea to have another ceremony when they already had the first. She began to grumble under her breath about giving her parents a ceremony, white dresses and too many people. Today was her wedding day and she was not happy about it. Arizona hated being front and center. She hated having all the attention on her which was difficult to avoid when she was the bride on her own wedding day._

"_Arizona," Teddy placed her hands on her best friend's shoulders. "You're already married. This is just a formality for your parents. No need to be so nervous."_

_Arizona looked from her hands to Teddy's eyes, "But there will be so many people there watching me. What if I trip? Or if I mess up what I'm supposed to say?"_

_Teddy tightened her grip and attempted to calm Arizona, "There will only be twenty people there so only forty eyes will be looking at you. You won't trip because you're wearing ballet flats and you won't mess up what you're supposed to say because you're just repeating after the minister."_

"_Forty eyes?" Arizona's own eyes bugged out. "That's a lot," she said as she resumed her pacing._

_Teddy looked over to Arizona's little sister, "I think we need backup."_

_Emily slipped out of the room and Arizona didn't even notice as she was too busy wringing her hands and pacing the small perimeter of her bedroom. Three minutes later Emily returned with her arms full._

"_Mama!" Abe and Eli cried in unison as soon as they were brought into the room by their aunt._

_Arizona's eyes quickly found her sons'._

"_You have five minutes with them before you have to get dressed and we get this shindig on the road," Emily explained as she put the boys down on the floor and she watched Arizona join them._

"_Don't you two look handsome in your little tuxes," Arizona gushed at her boys while she adjusted their little bowties. She placed kisses on each of their heads, "You two might even be cuter than Daddy, but don't tell him I said that."_

_Teddy and Emily leaned against the wall and smiled. For the first time all morning, Arizona had stopped pacing and was acting normal. After her brief visit by the boys she was able to put on her dress and do her makeup before her father came to her bedroom to get her for their walk downstairs and into the family living room where their guests and her husband waited for her._

"_Why are you so nervous, baby girl?" Daniel asked his daughter as they waited in the hallway. As he held her hand in his he could feel it trembling. "You two are already married. This is just a formality. So that your mother can stop complaining that she wasn't at your wedding."_

_Arizona took a deep breath, "I really do love him and I don't regret it at all."_

_Daniel nodded. Over the last few days he realized that even a blind man could tell that Arizona truly loved Alex. "I know you love him."_

"_I just feel like I've turned my back on who I am… or who I was," Arizona explained without looking at her father. She never could make eye contact very well when talking about her feelings._

_Daniel forced Arizona to look at him by using his free hand to lift her chin up to meet his gaze. "You are still the person you've always been, Arizona. The same stubborn, spitfire little girl that I first held in my arms over thirty-four years ago."_

"_But I'm not. I'm married to a man, Dad and I'm marrying him again today."_

"_You can't help who you fall in love with. You're just a late bloomer, that's all. Just last year I discovered that I love jazz music. All my life I've been a rock guy. Then one day, my favorite radio station that I could count on to always play my favorite Rolling Stones songs all of a sudden was playing jazz." Daniel looked at his daughter who was wondering just where he was going with his impromptu speech and continued, "You know my old truck… the radio doesn't pick up stations very well so I didn't even bother to change it knowing that I wouldn't find anything else. By the time I got home from the gym I was in love with the sounds of Dizzy Gillespie. I never knew that I liked it because I never really gave it a chance before. But once I did, I fell in love and haven't looked back. Heck, your mom and I even go out to the jazz clubs dancing now. I've even got most of my old Marine buddies going now even though they made fun of me at first. It took me sixty years to discover that about myself."_

_Arizona snorted, "Not sure you can compare human sexuality to music – but thanks for trying."_

"_You know what you feel Arizona. You love him. He makes you happy. You want to spend your life with him. Just stop worrying about everything else."_

"_Alex said the same thing when we first got together," Arizona smiled as she leaned into her father's body._

"_He's a smart boy," Daniel huffed. He had come to like Alex Karev even though he really didn't want to. The boy was sleeping with his daughter after all – under his own roof even! "If it makes you feel any better, your mother and I really like him. We're happy to have him in the family."_

"_Thanks Daddy," Arizona fought back the tears that were forming and looped her arm through her father's. "Let's go give Mom her wedding."_

_The ceremony went flawlessly. Just as Alex predicted, the moment he saw Arizona turn into the living room and make her way down to him in her stunning lace dress, tears were prickling in his eyes. The Colonel passed Arizona's hand into his and told him to take care of her before he went to stand by his wife. Vows were exchanged. Platinum wedding bands were placed on their fingers. Promises to love and take care of each other for the rest of time were made. And in the end, with glassy eyes, a kiss was shared. A kiss that sealed all of the vows and promises they had just made to each other._

_After the ceremony there was a celebration. The Robbins' transformed their backyard into a winter wonderland. A heated tent covered a dance floor and seating area for the guests to enjoy. After sharing their first dance together, Arizona's father cut in and showed his daughter his new dance moves that he had found thanks to his newfound love of jazz music. However, even The Colonel with his slick dancing skills was upstaged by his own grandchildren. Abe and Eli had only been walking for a couple of weeks but that didn't hinder their abilities to boogie on the dance floor with their aunt and godmother._

_The reception had been going on for over two hours and was starting to wind down when Alex found his wife animatedly describing the beauty of Malawi to several of the guests. One of the duties of the happy couple was to chat up the guests which didn't lead to much alone time for the newlyweds during the reception. Alex had just escaped one of Arizona's aunts who was telling him all about his new cousins. After dodging through the crowd to avoid being stopped to talk with someone else, he had finally made it to his bride and was determined to get some time alone with her. Alex snuck up behind his wife and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and shot him a dazzling smile._

"_May I have this dance?" Alex asked his new bride as he held out his hand._

_Arizona excused herself from the guests and took Alex's hand and walked toward the dance floor._

_Alex wrapped his hands around Arizona's waist and pulled her closer. In return, she wrapped her hands around his neck and nuzzled into his neck as they swayed to the music._

"_Have I mentioned how beautiful you are today?" Alex whispered quietly, wanting to keep this moment to themselves. His hands traveled across her body feeling the lace of her dress beneath his fingers. He wondered just what she had on underneath it and couldn't wait to find out._

"_Only once or twice," she mumbled into his neck, placing wet kisses as she spoke. "You look mighty handsome yourself."_

_Alex's hands were wandering up and down Arizona's bare back. "Are you happy?"_

_Arizona pulled out to look Alex in the eyes, "Exceedingly."_

_Alex wrapped his hand behind Arizona's neck and pulled her in for a slow and tortuous kiss. "I have one more surprise for you."_

_Arizona gazed adoringly at her husband, "And what would that be, Dr. Karev?"_

"_Well, you, Dr. Mrs. Dr. Karev, and I and going on a honeymoon."_

"_Honey what?" Arizona asked with wide eyes. They hadn't discussed any sort of honeymoon. Their trip had been planned with excruciating detail. It had to be with two young children. Each day of their fourteen day vacation was planned out down to what they were going to eat at each meal time. There was no room in the schedule for a honeymoon._

"_Honeymoon," Alex said as he stole a kiss. "You, me and three days in a cabin a couple of hours away in Vermont."_

_Arizona's mind immediately went to her kids, "What about the boys?"_

"_They will be spoiled rotten by Grandma and Grandpa. And Aunt Emily will be here because I know you're worried about any health problems that won't happen but she'll be here just in case."_

"_What about Christmas?" Arizona asked nervously. She really wanted to go spend time with her husband alone but the thought of leaving her children gave her heart palpitations._

_Alex ran his hand through Arizona's hair and rested on her cheek, "We'll be back on the twenty-third. Plenty of time to start our own holiday traditions." Alex stopped their swaying bodies, "Arizona, I know you're worried about them but we need this. We've never had this much time to ourselves before. We've never even had just a night together. The boys need some time without us as well. Do you really want them to grow up and be the type of boys that never move out and live with us in our basement forever? This will be good. For all of us. I promise."_

"_Okay," Arizona acquiesced._

"_Okay?" Alex asked for confirmation._

_Arizona nodded and leaned up to kiss him. "Okay."_

_Alex grabbed Arizona's hand and smiled. He knew he need to have a good grip on her or else she might flee and refuse to go with him. "Good, because it's time to go."_

"_Wait – what?" Arizona looked shocked again. "I haven't even packed!"_

_Teddy and Emily joined the couple on the dance floor each with a child in their arms. They knew that Alex was informing the bride about their honeymoon plans. They had been waiting for the screeching to step up and help out._

"_We packed for you," Teddy answered Arizona's question as she pushed Eli into her arms. "Now say goodbye so you can make it up to Vermont before it gets dark."_

_In the end it only took Arizona a half hour to let her parents take the boys out of her arms. Alex had planned for it to take an hour so they were already ahead of schedule. After several "just one more" hugs and kisses and tears from all four members of the family, they were finally ready to leave the party. The wedding guests sent them off by showering them with silly string as they made the way to the rented SUV that they would drive up to their cabin in the mountains._

"I still say the honeymoon was better," Arizona said resolutely after reminiscing about the wedding.

Alex had maneuvered himself so that he was also lying on the couch on his side perched up with his arm resting atop Arizona's hand on Della's back. "I had to force you to go. How can that be better than the wedding?"

Arizona used to her free hand to pull Alex's lips closer to her own. "You," she whispered as her lips neared his. "Me," she whispered with her lips barely touching his. "In a cabin," she licked his upper lip. "In the snow," she bit down on his lower lip. "For three days," she whispered as she finally brought her lips to mesh with his and snaked her tongue inside his mouth.

When Arizona pulled away Alex was out of breath. "You are so hot," Alex said before pulling her lips back onto his but stopped them before they teased themselves too much. "That is so wrong to tease me while you are holding our baby and another one is in the bed next to us."

Arizona laid her head back down on the couch after Alex stopped their kissing. She closed her eyes while continuing her rhythmic circular patterns on Della's onesie clad back. She could tell that Alex was still staring at her. She felt his eyes on her body. After a few moments she couldn't stop the smirk from forming on her face.

"Stop thinking about our honeymoon," Alex admonished as he was trying to calm down his raging libido but her smirk and flushed face didn't help things.

Arizona's blue eyes peeked open, "I can't help it. It was my _favorite_ part of the Christmas trip."

"Stop thinking about dirty things while holding my daughter," Alex leaned in to nibble on her ear. "She doesn't need to know about these things for another twenty years."

Arizona pushed Alex off of her ear; if he wanted her to stop thinking about dirty things then he would have to keep his lips to himself. "It wasn't all dirty," Arizona mused.

_Alex bumped the driver's side door shut with his rear before he raced around to the passenger side where Arizona was trying to exit the vehicle. He wanted to do the honeymoon the right way and that way was by being a gentleman._

"_Wait," Alex shouted as he came around the back of the car and grabbed the handle to the passenger door. Alex opened the door and held his hand out for his wife. "After you, m'lady."_

_Arizona rolled her eyes. While Alex always treated her right she wasn't used to him wanting to open car doors for her. He didn't have much of an opportunity in Mzuzu to do that anyway as they didn't even have a car; they walked everywhere. The two walked hand in hand up to the cabin door. Alex reached into his pockets to fish out the key that he had received when they checked in. He swiftly put it into the keyhole and unlocked the door. Arizona immediately tried to walk into the cabin but was stopped by a fast hand that reached out and pulled on her jacket to pull her out of the doorway._

"_We're doing this right," Alex mumbled as he leaned down and picked Arizona up in his arms._

_Arizona was caught off guard by Alex. She wasn't expecting to be swept up into his arms. She let off a squeal when she felt her feet being lifted off the ground. Alex walked them into the cabin, through the entry way and straight to the bedroom where he ceremoniously dropped her on the bed._

"_This place is amazing," Arizona said as she got comfortable in the pillows on the bed. "Thank you."_

_Alex took the bow tie that was already loosened off of his neck. He gazed down at the beauty on the bed. She truly was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Alex put his hands on the bed and crawled his way up to his wife. "Anything for you," he whispered in-between placing wet kisses on her neck._

_Arizona's head rolled to the side as Alex worked his magic on her neck. She was starting to let herself go when she remembered her children. Arizona pushed on Alex's shoulder. "Wait," Arizona said as she pulled away. Alex wasn't having any of it and moved right back on top of Arizona. "Wait," Arizona repeated herself._

_Alex sighed. He knew exactly what she wanted. He pulled his cell phone out of his pants and handed it over. Before placing it in her eager hand he leaned down and nipped on her ear, "You have five minutes. Then I'm going to make love to my wife."_

_Arizona only needed three minutes to call home and check-in. She was quickly reassured that the boys were passed out in their crib after the excitement of their parents getting re-married. Alex was ready and waiting as soon as Arizona ended the phone call. He had been waiting for almost nine months, since they started to date, to have a night all alone with Arizona. He wanted to savor every inch of her body until their bodies gave out on them._

**…**

"The second day wasn't dirty at all," Arizona remarked after moving past the sexy thoughts of their first night in the cabin. "We spent the day skiing. How is that dirty?"

"What about what we did after skiing?" Alex questioned as he played with strands of her blonde hair.

Arizona beamed, "I do believe that involved a hot tub. Hot water and bubbles equals clean. Not dirty, Dr. Karev. I thought you were smarter than that?"

"Maybe I need some private lessons," Alex whispered against her lips. As his lips hovered above Arizona's, Arizona subconsciously licked and parted her own lips, waiting for the contact. Alex pulled out at the last moment, "You are older than me after all. You can teach me some of the wisdom of your old age."

"Ouch," Arizona pouted. "No need to play the age card. You make me sound like some cougar. I'm only four years older than you."

"I couldn't even vote when you could buy alcohol," Alex remarked knowing that teasing Arizona about her age was an easy way to get her riled up.

"Ugh," Arizona moaned. "Don't remind me."

Alex rolled off the couch and lifted a sleeping Della from Arizona's chest. He quickly and gently placed her down in the bassinette in the corner of the room. He returned to the couch where Arizona was still pouting about being old and gently lifted her up and placed her so that she was straddling him. Alex rubbed his hands up and down Arizona's jean clad thighs. "You will always be the sexiest old lady that I know."

"Even when I go grey before you? And am all wrinkly while you're still ageless?" Arizona gave him puppy dog eyes.

Alex nodded, "You already have the reading glasses so I guess I can handle the rest of that stuff."

"Gee, thanks babe."

Alex used his hands to wrap around Arizona's bottom and pull her impossibly closer. "You will always be gorgeous to me. Look at your mom. She still looks great so I'd say you have good genes for that stuff."

Arizona let a yawn slip from her mouth. "I think it's past this old lady's bed time."

Alex didn't need to be told twice. He stood as he kept Arizona locked around his waist. He gently let her down on the parent cot next to the couch. They both longed for their king sized bed at home where they could curl up and sleep together.

"Only a few more days and we'll be home in our own bed," Alex whispered as he pulled the blanket up over his almost dozing wife.

Arizona's eyes flittered open for a brief second. "Can't wait. I miss you holding me."

Alex placed a gentle kiss on her lips, "Me too."

After ensuring that Arizona was as comfortable as she could be on the cot he returned to the couch and spread out under his own blanket. He wasn't as tired as his wife but he knew he needed his rest. He was still very turned on from Arizona having brought up their honeymoon activities and also simply from having her sit on his lap. He closed his eyes and smiled as he was sure to have good dreams with those thoughts on his mind as he slipped into a slumber.

**…**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

Eli fidgeted as he sat on the hospital bed. He had been waiting over fifteen minutes for his doctor to show up. That was fifteen minutes that he was supposed to be playing at the park with his grandfather. As soon as they had arrived at the playground his grandfather received a phone call; Arizona had called to let him know that they needed to come back as Callie had an opening in her schedule and could fit Eli in to hopefully remove his cast. Eli didn't understand that doctors don't run on time and are almost constantly late. He huffed on the table but was careful not to be too annoying. He knew his grandfather didn't put up with any kind of whining. He was a no-nonsense man. The excuse that he wasn't even three years old didn't work with his grandfather. No whining meant no whining. No matter how old. He was usually more fun than anyone in Eli's life but the minute any whining started, Daniel shut it down. Once he even saw his grandfather tell his mom to quit it. Anyone that could yell at his mom was not someone to be messed with in the little boy's eyes.

Eli kept lifting his broken arm up and down as he sat on the bed. Normally he'd have one of his parent's cell phones to entertain him during the wait times but his grandfather still had one of those old flip phones that could only make phones calls. He didn't see the need to have a device where people could bug him constantly. He didn't even want a cell phone but his wife made him have one in case of emergencies. Eli was so over having a cast on his arm. At first he thought it was cool because he was the only one that had it. It made him different from Abe – special. As a twin it was often hard to feel unique but the cast did that for him. But after a few days it became smelly and it itched constantly. It started to itch again as he was waiting on the bed for Dr. Torres. He tried to stick his small, stubby fingers down the side of the cast to itch it but he couldn't get them in far enough to relieve his pain.

"Elijah, please stop," Daniel called from his chair next to the bed. "You don't want to get your finger stuck, do you?"

Eli quickly removed his finger, "No, sir." Eli didn't even know how his grandfather knew that he was attempting to scratch. He was busy reading the paper and not even looking at him. Eli was constantly amazed by his grandparents. They always knew everything. They even knew more than his mom and dad and they were the smartest people he knew. Eli took a moment to stop thinking about the itching to consider if his grandfather could see through the paper with x-ray vision like Superman.

Instead of trying to use his finger, Eli resorted to shaking his arm wildly as Daniel looked up from his paper and laughed at the little boy's antics. Neither noticed the doctor enter the room.

"If you tap on the outside of the cast," Callie said as she walked up to Eli and lightly knocked on his cast, "like this…that can help with the itching."

Eli looked up at the doctor with wide eyes. That did help relieve some of the annoying pain. "Thank you."

Callie nodded at the little boy, "You're welcome, Eli." Callie turned to the adult in the room, "We need to go take some more pictures today."

"Okay," Eli said. Callie expected him to refuse like he had before but the little boy had gotten used to her and his parents seemed to trust her so he did too.

"This should only take a few minutes," Callie directed at the elder man in the room that she assumed was Arizona's father; she would notice the Robbins' eyes anywhere.

"Daniel Robbins," he introduced himself to the doctor who he at one point expected to be a part of his family.

Callie reached out and shook his hand, "Callie Torres." Callie smiled at him as she didn't want to get on his bad side. The man was much nicer to her than she expected. From the stories Arizona had told her about growing up with the strict military man, Callie did not expect him to be smiling and laughing – especially when he knew what had happened between herself and his daughter.

There were so many things Daniel could have said to the woman in the room. For over a year every conversation he had with his daughter involved her gushing over the beautiful Latina at least once or twice. Even he couldn't believe that his daughter chose Africa over her love. He wasn't surprised when Arizona finally listened to her heart and left Africa to get her girl. But then the accident happened and Callie broke his daughter's heart. He knew Arizona had moved on and that was the only reason why he bit his tongue and didn't say anything to the woman that caused his daughter so much pain. He chose to take the higher road. "Take good care of him," Daniel called out as the doctor walked the boy out of the room.

Callie nodded and smiled.

Five minutes later Callie was able to return with good news – Eli's arm was healed and the cast could come off. Eli was more than pleased to hear that until Callie told him how she would take the cast off. Eli's excited, happy face turned contorted to one of pain when he heard that she would be using a saw on his arm. The only saw Eli knew of was the one his grandfather used when he made the tree house in his backyard at the beginning of summer. He remembered how his grandfather warned him not to touch the saw or go near it as it could really hurt him. Eli was afraid of a saw coming anywhere near his arm.

Daniel saw the impending meltdown and turned to the doctor, "I'll go grab Arizona. She'd want to be here for this anyway." Daniel then addressed his grandson, "Be good and we'll go for ice cream afterward." He leaned in conspiratorially to him, "Just don't tell your mother." Daniel stood and winked at Callie before leaving to go get his daughter.

Callie managed to keep Eli calm for the few minutes that they waited for his mother.

"I heard there's a little boy who gets to get their stinky cast off today," Arizona smiled as she entered the exam room. Her father had told her that Eli was upset about the saw and wanted to remind her son that this was a happy day not a sad one.

"She's gonna hurt me," Eli cried to his mother as he glared at Callie. Callie had to do a double take. That was the exact look Arizona would give when she was angry.

Arizona shook her head and rubbed the toddler's head, "No she's not, bubba. Dr. Callie's not going to hurt you at all." Arizona then gave Callie a small apologetic smile, "So it's all healed?"

Callie put the x-rays on the light box for Arizona to see for herself. Arizona moved to examine them for herself and quickly agreed with her son's doctor.

Arizona moved back to her son's side as Callie readied the tools necessary to cut the cast off of her patient's arm.

Eli nuzzled his head into his mother's side as he heard the saw fire up as Callie was testing it.

"I promise it won't hurt," Arizona repeated to her son who was scared of the sound that was coming from the saw. "Have I ever lied to you?"

Eli quickly looked up at her and shook his head before returning it to its previous position in her side so that he wouldn't have to see it. Eli was of the school of thought that if he didn't see it, then it didn't happen. Arizona shrugged her shoulders and nodded for Callie to do it. She knew he wasn't going to feel anything so Callie might as well get it over with instead of giving the boy more time to work it up in his head and be afraid. If it weren't for the noise of the saw, Eli wouldn't have even known that anything was going on in the room. The removal of the cast took less than a minute. When the saw noise went away and the room went back to silence, Eli dared to look up and saw his now freed arm. It was dry and was covered in flaky skin but it was no longer covered with a bright green cast.

"See? Told you?" Arizona smiled down at the little boy as he lifted up his arm to examine it and to make sure it was still in one piece.

After Eli had a moment to make sure that she didn't cut his arm in anyway, Callie took it into her hand and moved it around to ensure that it had truly healed properly. After another minute she proclaimed him fully healed.

Daniel reached out and took the cast that was sitting on the bed. "You going to keep it?" he asked his daughter.

"Of course," Arizona replied. "First broken bone. That's right up there with first haircut in a doctor's world. I want the x-rays too."

"Can I go show Daddy?" Eli begged wanting to show off to his father.

Arizona smiled and nodded, "Of course. Just give me a minute. I'm sure Dr. Callie has some paperwork for me."

"I'll take him up there," Daniel responded and before he could finish Eli was pulling on his grandfather's arm to move him faster out of the room.

"Come on, Grampa," Eli hurried as Daniel wasn't moving fast enough for his grandson.

Arizona laughed softly to herself at her son's antics and her father's willingness to go along with them. She didn't remember him being this much fun when she was growing up. Being a grandfather had made him go soft. After watching two of her favorite four men leave the room, Arizona turned her attention back to the other doctor in the room. "Thanks for everything."

"Just doing my job," Callie replied without looking up from the chart that she was writing notes in.

"Callie," Arizona called hoping to get her attention away from the chart. She knew Callie was avoiding her gaze. "Thank you. I mean it."

Callie looked up and locked eyes with her former lover. "It's the least I could do. You did a whole hell of a lot more for my kid than just set a broken bone."

Arizona didn't know how to respond to that. She didn't expect Callie to bring up Sofia to her. She was trying hard not to regress into memories so she just stayed silent.

Callie could tell the blonde was struggling. She didn't know how to talk about Sofia with Arizona. She knew the subject would always cause Arizona pain. She could see the pain in her eyes. "She knows who you are. She knows who saved her life."

"She does?" Arizona asked trying not to cry.

Callie nodded, "Of course. We've told her how she was born way too little and all about the woman who got her heart to beat. She says you're her prince who saved her since she's a princess. She's been in this princess phase for the past two years so everything is princesses or princes to her. She would love to meet you. Properly I mean. If she found out that you were in the same hospital as her she would freak out. You're her hero."

By the time Callie finished speaking Arizona had tears streaking her face. She struggled to gain composure. The last thing she wanted was to be vulnerable in front of Callie Torres. "I can't," she stuttered. "I couldn't," Arizona repeated. "I'd really like to not open that wound again. I mean, I would love to talk to her but I don't think that would be a great idea for me. Especially right now."

Callie's shoulders hung low. She knew she was putting herself out there by offering to let her spend some time with Sofia. She didn't know how the blonde would react but everything Callie had said was true. Arizona had been the star of Sofia's bedtime story for months when the mini-Callie would ask to hear about how she came into the world each night. Callie of course didn't reveal all to the little girl. She didn't tell her that Arizona was her girlfriend and her fiancée. That Arizona was supposed to be her mother too. Instead she just told her daughter that they were very good friends and that Arizona had to go save other little boys and girls around the world which is why she was no longer in Seattle to play with the little girl.

"I understand," Callie said. "It was too much to ask."

"Maybe one day," Arizona brought her eyes to meet Callie's again. Arizona was talking more to herself than Callie. She hoped that maybe one day she would be able to meet Sofia and be a part of her life. Or at least be able to put a face to the name that she had heard in her bedtime stories. Maybe one day it wouldn't hurt her heart so much to see the little girl growing up and not being there to see it.

Callie went to change the subject, "I hear you're leaving us tomorrow anyway."

"Yeah. Finally," Arizona sighed. It had been a long trip to Seattle. A long and very much unplanned trip to Seattle. "Nothing against Seattle but it's been almost two months since I've been home thanks to this detour. I'm more than ready. We can wait for a heart there as easily as we can here – and not having to live in a hospital is a plus."

Callie handed Arizona the final paperwork that she needed to sign, "I'm sure. Remember the days when we were surgery-thirsty interns who would have never thought we'd want to not live in a hospital? Hell, I did live in the hospital for awhile."

Arizona signed the papers and handed them back to Callie with another smile, "That seems like a lifetime ago. Intern Me would be very disappointed in me for actually having a home life. When did we get so old?" Arizona took a moment to think about other things that the intern version of her would also have problems with. "Probably not the only thing that would be confusing to Intern Me," Arizona mused.

Callie reached out and put her hand on Arizona's. She knew that Arizona was referencing her change in sexuality. She wanted to let her know that it was okay to change and grow in life without actually saying the words. That wasn't a conversation she was ready to have. "Now you're just as screwed up as the rest of us," Callie laughed hoping to put Arizona at ease. "Good to know you aren't as perfect as you always seemed."

"Hardly," Arizona barked with a smile. Arizona moved to head back to Abe's room and find her family. "Thanks again. For everything. It was good to see you again."

"You too," Callie smiled as she watched the blonde retreat from the room.

As Arizona's hand hovered over the door knob she felt something pull her back to the Latina. They never had a proper goodbye and it was about time they did. She surprised Callie by pulling her in for a tight hug. She held her closely for a minute before mumbling "bye" so softly that Callie wasn't even sure she said it.

"Arizona," Callie almost yelled at her, causing the blonde to turn around at the doorway. But she didn't want Arizona to leave without telling her one last thing. "I really am glad you're happy."

Arizona nodded her head and smiled as she left the room. It wasn't a deeply emotional talk about their former relationship but she felt oddly relaxed after it. Maybe Alex was right about closure after all.

**…**

Arizona walked back up to Abe's room with a smile on her face. She opened the door to her son's room expecting to find a flutter of activity about as she was sure that her father had given her kids sugar as a treat after Eli's cast removal. Instead, she was met only by the sounds of Alex humming to himself as he moved around the room packing their things into bags.

"Where are my kids at?" Arizona asked curiously.

Alex looked up and shot his wife a dazzling smile, "Teddy cleared them for a walk down to the cafeteria to get some ice cream."

Arizona's brow furrowed. She had just seen Teddy in the hallway and Abe wasn't allowed to go anywhere without a cardiologist with him. "I just saw Teddy. Who is with Abe? Please don't tell me Cristina is…"

"Nope," Alex smirked knowing that his wife would light up when she told him his secret. "Emily went with them."

"Emily?" Arizona shrieked with excitement but then stopped to think and review her sister's itinerary. "She's not supposed to be here until tomorrow. She's literally meeting us at the airport, landing in Seattle and then going right back to Boston with us."

"I promise you she's here," Alex answered as he continued to shove clothing into a duffle bag. "Said she missed me too much."

Arizona rolled her eyes. Alex and Emily's relationship was very much a sibling relationship. They antagonized each other and fought constantly but deep down they loved each other. Their relationship reminded her of what she used to share with her brother. She was glad that Emily had that with Alex. Arizona decided to start helping Alex. With the both of them packing it wouldn't take all night to get everything in order. "I swear we didn't bring this much stuff with us," Arizona commented as she picked up scattered stuffed animals and toys from the floor.

"I know, it just multiplies. I blame your parents. They spoil them too much. They show up with something new each time they visit," Alex muttered as he pushed one last blanket into the bag.

"Not that one!" Arizona almost yelled to catch her husband's attention as he almost packed away Abe's favorite blanket. The almost three year old wouldn't admit to anyone that he still needed his blanket but it was his one piece of stability in a world where he spent more time in foreign places than his own home.

Alex pulled the blanket out and gazed at it, "Right," Alex face-palmed himself. "I'm stupid. I know this is his blankie. This place is making me lose my mind."

Arizona watched as Alex beat himself up over nothing. He was simply too distracted and tired. It was a good thing they were going home soon. They all needed it. Arizona moved over to still his hands from continuing to pack. He needed a break and she had the perfect excuse for one. "Why don't we take advantage of a few kid free minutes?"

"And what exactly do you have in mind?" Alex raised his eyebrows.

"Making out like horny teenagers until we get walked in on by my family," Arizona said matter-of-factly as she gripped his t-shirt and pulled him closer.

Alex didn't have to be told twice. Within seconds he had pounced on Arizona with one hand pulling Arizona in by the back of her neck and the other roaming to grab her ass. Arizona back-pedaled them until her calves hit the back of the couch. She turned them around, lips still attached and tongues dueling as she pushed Alex on the couch and straddled him so she could focus on kissing her husband and not on silly things like keeping her balance while making out. Alex moved one of his hands to Arizona's front and started to snake it up the front of her t-shirt. His hand reached the edge of her bra and just as he was about to go under it, Arizona's hand clamped down on his and she shook her head effectively ending Alex's fun.

"They could walk in any second," Arizona admonished. She knew that the boys wouldn't really understand or even notice Alex's hand up her shirt but the older members of the family definitely would. She had no problem with her family walking in on them kissing but having her family see her husband feel her up would be too much for her father's eyes.

Alex nodded in understanding and pulled his hand out but not before a wink and making a quick squeeze of her breast. He wanted to get at least one feel to last him until they got home. "At least we'll be home by this time tomorrow. Don't plan on sleeping too much tomorrow night, Mrs. Karev," he whispered into Arizona's ear and watched her neck blush a bright red.

**…**

If there was one way to get a Robbins to do anything, the answer was always ice cream. The love of ice cream surpassed all genetic boundaries as Abe and Eli would also do anything for ice cream. Arizona blamed the love of ice cream on her father. Growing up, he would often come home from a long day in the field and take his kids out for a cone. As she got older, the trips to the ice cream parlor were fewer and far between but every time his daughter needed a pick me up, he always took her to go get an ice cream cone. While she was in medical school, he even found a take-out place in her neighborhood that delivered ice cream. If Arizona so much as mentioned having a test or relationship problems, Daniel would have a pint delivered to her door. Now, he was passing the love of ice cream on to his grandchildren.

The two young boys sat in the cafeteria with their grandparents and aunt. Each person at the table had a cup of ice cream in front of them. Vanilla for Eli, vanilla-chocolate swirl for Abe, chocolate for Daniel, vanilla for Barbara and swirl for Emily. Daniel would have even tried to feed Della a bite of ice cream if Barbara hadn't glared at him; eleven weeks was still too young for the baby to have ice cream according to her. The boys were busy filling in their aunt on everything that she had missed over the last two weeks that she had been gone. Emily, for her part, appropriately ooh'ed and ahh'ed at the right places in their stories. She gushed over Eli's newly cast-free arm and applauded Abe when he told her how he beat his grandfather three times in a row while playing go fish.

Emily had missed this over the last two weeks. Since Alex and Arizona returned from Africa a little over eight months ago, she had come to love spending quality time with her extended family. Being six years Arizona's junior, they hadn't lived together in quite a long time. Emily was still in middle school when Arizona moved out to go to college. They were never in the same school at the same time or in the same activities while growing up. Arizona loved her little sister but they just didn't live in the same circles until they were both adults. Emily always looked up to her sister. She always thought her sister was the coolest. Whatever Arizona did, Emily had to do when she reached that age. By the time Emily was off at college she thought she had grown out of the phase of having to be just like her big sister but she still found herself drawn to the same things her sister did – like medicine. It wasn't her intention to go into the same specialty as her sister but after spending a week shadowing Arizona during her residency she fell in love with helping kids. She was lucky enough to match in surgery for her residency and then took a fellowship in pediatric cardiology. For her part, when it came time for Arizona to leave Africa, it was Arizona that chose to follow her sister for once by taking a job at the same hospital that Emily worked in – Boston Children's.

Since Arizona and her family moved back to Boston, Emily and Arizona grew even closer than ever. While she had been back in Boston for the last two weeks, Emily missed not seeing Arizona at work daily and at least twice a week for dinner with the kids. Those three kids could make any bad day better with just one smile and "I love you, Aunt Em." She couldn't wait to get her nephews and niece home where they belonged. She knew the whole family needed to be home. She could see the fatigue on the faces of her parents, she could only imagine how exhausted Arizona was if her parents looked so rough.

Emily leaned over to wipe a spot of ice cream off of Eli's chin when she noticed that Abe had gotten quiet. He had been loud all afternoon as he was so excited about going home the next day that he couldn't contain it. She thought it was odd so she looked over to Abe and noticed his face looked blank. "Abe," she called. Abe blinked slowly but didn't say anything nor did he look at her. "Abe," she repeated with no response. She stood up to check him out when his body went limp against his grandfather's shoulders.

Daniel's eyes widened. "What's happening?" he questioned his daughter.

Emily started moving quickly and barking out orders as she scooped Abe up in her arms. "Mom, take the kids back to the hotel. Dad, go to Alex and Arizona. Tell them to stay in the room. I'm taking him to the ER. We'll send someone up to the room when we know what's going on. Dad, do not let them come down to the ER. They'll just get in the way. Okay?"

Daniel nodded. He wasn't used to taking orders from his daughter but he knew that she was the expert on this matter, "Of course."

As Emily was running out of the cafeteria with Abe in his arms, Eli and Della both started crying. They knew something was seriously wrong. Eli was too young to understand what was going on; one minute he was laughing and the next his grandmother was taking his hand and rushing them out of the hospital.

"Call me as soon as you know anything," Barbara whispered as Daniel sent her on her way with a kiss.

Daniel again nodded as he rushed up to the room he had spent so much time in over the last three weeks. He had less than five minutes before he would get there. Five minutes to figure out what to tell his daughter when he had no idea what was even happening.

**…**

Alex and Arizona were still wrapped up in each other on the couch when they heard the tell-tale sound of the hospital room door opening. Arizona quickly got up and moved off of Alex's lap. She hoped that whoever was entering wouldn't have noticed that she was just straddling her husband. All thoughts about getting teased by her sister went out of her head when she noticed her father enter the room looking upset. He stared at his daughter and opened his mouth to talk but couldn't make the words come out.

"Where are the kids?" Arizona questioned noticing that he was alone. She was trying not to let the worry take over her when she took in his appearance and the fact that he was all alone.

"Your mom took Eli and Della back to the hotel," Daniel said quietly.

Alex could tell something was wrong. "Where's Abe?" he asked loudly.

"He's downstairs with Emily and Teddy. He collapsed in the cafeteria."

"What happened? What are they doing?" Arizona fired off as she started to run out of the room. Alex wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her still and stop her from heading down to the Emergency Room.

"Your sister wants you two to wait here. She'll come up when she knows more. He probably just pushed himself too hard. You know how he is," Daniel sighed as he took Arizona's hands in his. "We need to wait here, sweetheart."

Arizona dropped her dad's hands and turned to Alex who wrapped her up in a hug. She buried her face into his neck as she let the tears run down her face. "We're supposed to be going home tomorrow," she said. Arizona couldn't wrap her head around the fact that they were just packing to go home and now her son was back in the Emergency Room with who knows what wrong with him but passing out was not a good sign for her son. "We're supposed to be going home," she repeated to herself.

Alex made eye contact with his father-in-law as he held Arizona tightly. He wanted to get some sense of what happened while they were down in the cafeteria. Daniel's eyes were full of worry which only caused him to worry more. Normally the patriarch of the family was the calm and collected one of the bunch. For Alex to see how upset Daniel was, he knew that this was more serious than he let on when he entered the room. All Alex could do was to do his best to be like his father-in-law. To stay calm and be the rock that Arizona needed to be.

**…**

A/N: Thanks for reading as always. I hate to leave y'all with a cliffhanger but it was either this or no update for over a week!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

The hospital room stayed silent. None of the three people in the room knew what to say so they just stayed silent. There wasn't even the constant beeping of hospital machines to add sound to the room. It was pure torturous silence.

Daniel sat in the corner chair unable to make eye contact with his daughter and her husband. Something bad happened to Abe under his watch. He would never be able to forgive himself if something went horribly wrong. Arizona and Alex sat on the couch next to each other. Arizona rested her head on Alex's shoulder while he held her close. Alex was afraid to let go of her. If he did he knew she'd run. She'd go down and try to find information out about their son. While Alex was desperate for news as well, he knew that the doctors didn't need the distraction of having the patient's parents in the room while they worked. So Alex kept a tight grip on his wife as they waited.

Seconds passed like minutes. Minutes passed like hours. Hours passed like days.

It had been over an hour and a half when Alex began having an internal debate about going to get information himself. He had been busy holding Arizona back from leaving but as they passed ninety minutes of waiting, he was fed up. It had been too long for them to still be in the dark. Alex resolved to give the doctors thirty more minutes. If they hadn't been updated by the two hour mark, Alex would go get answers.

Arizona wasn't as willing as Alex was to give the doctor's more time. Arizona pulled her body out of Alex's embrace. "I'm going to find a nurse or Teddy or just… someone that will tell me what is going on."

"We need to let them work," Alex said as he grabbed Arizona's hand and pulled her back onto the couch.

"How can you be so calm?" Arizona snapped at her husband and stood back up. She was stressed and worried. She didn't mean to yell but couldn't help it. "We have no idea what is going on with our son. I'm not going to wait any longer!"

Alex stood as his wife yelled at him. He knew her yells were because she was upset and frustrated. He saw the tears start to form in her eyes and brought her into a hug. "Okay, baby. Let me go find out what I can." Alex wiped the tears away from Arizona's face. Inside he wanted to break down too but need to be the strong one. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

Arizona nodded her head as Alex placed a light kiss on her lips. He squeezed her tight one last time, hoping that would be enough for her to stay strong while he was gone.

**…**

Alex sighed and leaned against the wall as he waited for the elevator to take him down to the ER. He could have easily taken the stairs but he needed the few extra minutes to compose himself. He was afraid of what he could learn when he got there. He heard the familiar ding of the elevator arriving and took a deep breath as he prepared to enter it. The doors opened and he was greeted with Teddy's eyes on him.

Teddy walked out of the elevator and pulled Alex down the hallway with her. "I was just coming to talk to you guys."

"If it's bad," Alex paused as he ran his hand over his brow. "If he's gone," he tried to get the words out but it hurt to even think them let alone say them aloud. "Tell me now so I can take a moment then take care of Arizona."

Teddy frowned and stopped walking. She put a hand on Alex's arm to help comfort him, "He's down in the PICU. I was just about to take you guys to him. We'll talk on the way there."

**…**

Arizona's head shot up when she heard the door to the hospital room open. It had been less than five minutes since Alex had left the room. She wasn't expecting him back so soon. Her mind immediately went to the worst place. If he was back so soon then that couldn't be good news. She watched Alex walk back into the room with Teddy by his side.

"I was on my way up here when I bumped into Alex at the elevator," Teddy explained.

"What's wrong? What happened with Abe?" Arizona asked as Alex moved to stand next to her.

Teddy walked closer to Arizona and grabbed her hand, "We just did a full battery of tests. His heart is starting to go into failure."

Teddy watched as Arizona turned her face into Alex's chest and let out a sob. Alex ran his hand up and down Arizona's back trying to soothe her as well as himself.

"Did we do something wrong in the cafeteria?" Daniel asked, concerned that it was his grandson's current condition was his fault.

Teddy shook her head, "No. This has been a long time coming. We knew it was going to happen. He passed out in the cafeteria because his blood pressure got too low."

"What now?" Arizona asked as she clung tighter to Alex.

"He's stable. We've got him on beta blockers and ACE inhibitors which are making it easier for his heart to work," Teddy explained. She knew that Alex and Arizona knew what all of this meant. Everyone knew what this meant but no one wanted to say it out loud.

Alex dared to speak the question that no one would ask, "How much time?"

Teddy frowned as her own eyes filled with tears. Alex asked it. He asked the one question she didn't want to answer. Teddy averted her eyes. She couldn't look at her friends when she gave her answer, "We can't know for sure, you know that."

"Teddy," Alex raised his voice. "How. Much. Time.?" Alex paused at every word indicating that he wanted an answer to his question.

Teddy looked Alex in the eyes, "Not much. A month if we're lucky." Teddy turned to look at her best friend who now had tears streaming down her face, "We're doing everything we can. We just need to get a heart very soon."

"Can we go see him?" Arizona asked quietly.

Teddy smiled, "Of course. Emily's with him now."

Daniel knew that his daughter and son-in-law needed some alone time with their son. Plus, only two adults were allowed in the PICU rooms at a time. "I'm going to go let your mother know. I'll call you when we put Eli to bed so you can say goodnight," Daniel said as he wrapped his arms around his daughter, not knowing any other way to comfort her at the time.

**…**

Alex and Arizona walked like zombies toward the PICU. Their entire world had just been turned upside down. Earlier in the day they were planning on taking their son home to wait for a heart. They were prepared to wait months for a heart but now they didn't have a month to wait.

Alex thought his own heart stopped when Teddy said he had a month. A month was optimistic. He knew as a doctor that they were always over generous when they gave time estimates for how long a patient had to live. He knew that if Teddy was saying a month, it meant that he probably only had half of that time. Two weeks. He had less than two weeks left with his son.

Emily and Teddy quietly slipped out of the room as Alex and Arizona walked in. Alex was used to seeing patients hooked up to various monitors. He was used to seeing their pale, clammy bodies lying in hospital beds. But no matter how many times it happened, when he saw his own child lying in a hospital bed, he felt like his heart was being ripped open. Alex felt himself gasping for air as he watched Abe sleep. Arizona who had immediately gone to Abe's side and was stroking his hand quickly noticed her husband's reaction. She knew how hard Alex been trying to stay strong and he had done an excellent job at it but now it was too much for him. They needed each other at that moment. They needed to take a moment to let themselves fall apart because once Abe woke up they would need to be strong for him.

Arizona put Abe's hand down and took Alex in her arms. Alex responded immediately and wrapped his arms around her waist as he pulled her closer. The two stood wrapped up in each other, sobbing into each other's bodies until they had no more tears to cry.

**…**

Cristina watched as Alex left the coffee cart and walked back down the hallway toward the main part of the hospital. She noticed that his face was back to being scruffy. He was wearing the same clothes he had on the day before. The coffee in his hand didn't seem to be helping the dark circles under his eyes.

"What's up with Evil Spawn?" Cristina asked the usual crowd at the lunch table. "I thought the babysitters were supposed to be gone by now? Teddy said they were taking the heart kid back to Boston with them."

"Their patient took a turn for the worse," Mark answered. "Can't be transported."

Cristina looked shocked. She had no idea that the little cardiac patient was still in the hospital. "What? How do I not know this? I was on the kid's case."

"There's nothing left to do," Mark sighed. "So there's no real case for you to be on. They're keeping the kid comfortable until they get a heart or… you know…" It made Mark sick to even think those thoughts. He had come to enjoy spending time with the Karev family. He knew how badly Teddy was hurting at the latest developments in Abraham's case. He couldn't even imagine the pain that Alex and Arizona were going through.

The rest of the table looked glum after hearing Mark's words. Over the last three weeks most of the table had come to know exactly who the patient was and more importantly his parents. Callie knew that the patient that needed the heart was Alex and Arizona's child. April didn't know that Arizona was the patient's mother but she did know that Alex was his father. Meredith also looked saddened by the news. It was always hard to hear bad news about a patient so young.

Cristina noticed that Teddy and Arizona were heading toward the table. She was determined to be put back on the case. As soon as the pair sat down, Cristina took the opportunity to ask. "Can I be back on the African kid's case now that he's still here?"

"No," Teddy quickly shut down her protégé.

"Why not?" Cristina complained.

Teddy looked at Arizona who hadn't looked up from her tray since they sat down. "Right now I can handle it on my own. If I need you, I'll ask. I thought you'd like all the extra responsibility I've given you with the rest of the patients."

"I do," Cristina answered. "It's just such a rare condition that I'd love to see the case through."

Teddy sighed, "This patient is not a freak show for you to gawk at, Yang. The family wants privacy right now."

"What about you Dr. Robbins? Can you get the family to let me help?"

"Cristina!" Teddy exclaimed. She knew that the last thing Arizona needed was Cristina Yang bugging her to be on the case.

Arizona took her eyes off of her plate for the first time and addressed her friend, "No Teddy. It's okay. I can handle this." Then Arizona turned to Cristina, "What are you going to do to help? How is the 'Great Dr. Cristina Yang' going to stop his heart from failing? What are you going to do that we haven't over the last two and a half years? Or do you just want to see a toddler struggle to live as he fights to survive one more day?" Arizona tried to stop from getting emotional but it was hard as she heard Cristina beg to be put on a case. It wasn't just a case to her. It was her son. She wasn't sorry for the way she went off on her.

Arizona quickly stood and turned on her heels leaving the cafeteria table stunned by her outburst.

"What was that?" Cristina asked aloud to the table.

"You're an insensitive idiot," Callie answered.

Cristina rolled her eyes, "It's not my fault she gets too attached to her patients. All I want to do is learn from the case." Cristina glanced at her buzzing pager, "Trauma coming in, come on Mer, April."

After the younger surgeons left the table it was just Callie, Mark and Teddy. Callie and Mark each had no idea that the other knew the truth. Callie also had no idea that Mark and Teddy were dating. The threesome sat eating in silence until Teddy couldn't take it anymore.

"Sofia doing anything new these days?" Teddy asked. She already knew the answer to her own question but at least it would get her tablemates to talk instead of sitting in awkward silence.

"She has her very first dance recital in a couple of weeks," Mark said proudly. He had hoped that Teddy would be able to accompany him to the recital but now that was in doubt. He and Teddy planned on sitting down with Callie and telling her about their relationship the night that Arizona and Alex were supposed to have left for Boston. Needless to say, that meeting didn't happen and Teddy had barely left the hospital in the three days since that night.

Callie smiled brightly upon mention of her daughter's dancing, "You should see her in her little tutu. Cutest thing ever."

Teddy let her hand drop under the table and graze Mark's thigh. "I'm sure. Anything that kid does is cute."

Callie frowned as she thought about how happy she was for her daughter's dance recital and quickly realized what Arizona was going to be missing out on with her own son.

Mark picked up on his friend's frown. "What's wrong, Cal?"

"Nothing," Callie replied softly. "Just thinking how lucky we are. Sofia was born so early and didn't have any major complications from it. And Arizona's…" Callie paused before she said the word son in front of Mark. "Arizona's patient… he was born really prematurely too. And he's had to struggle to live his whole life. We just got really lucky."

"We did get very lucky. She had the best doctors that got her through those tough first days. And it's a good thing that little Abraham's got the best cardiologist working on him," Mark smiled at his girlfriend.

"Wait, how do you know so much about Arizona's patient?" Callie questioned. She was confused as to how Mark knew so much about it. There was no logical reason for a plastic surgeon to know about a pediatric case.

Mark shrugged, "Arizona and I talk. Teddy and I talk. I like to keep my finger on the pulse of the hospital."

"You talk to Arizona?"

"I do. We had a really nice talk actually."

"What could you two possibly have to talk about?" Callie asked incredulously.

"Besides the fact that she saved our daughter's life?" Mark asked rhetorically. He was starting to get pissed off at his friend who never seemed to be grateful for Arizona. "If you must know, I send Arizona a thank you card every year on Sofia's birthday. I wanted to ask her if she got them and read them. Just because you kicked Arizona out of your life and forced her to run away to Africa, doesn't mean that the rest of us wanted that."

"You never even liked her!" Callie exclaimed.

Teddy became uncomfortable watching her boyfriend fight with his best friend. She couldn't help but watch the two of them go at it. Her eyes kept darting from one to the other like watching a tennis ball during a match.

"That's not true," Mark shook his head. "Did we fight? Of course we did. All the time. But we both just wanted what was best for you. Then she saved our daughter's life. She put up with a lot of shit from both of us during your pregnancy. I can't believe she stuck around with the way we _both_ treated her. But she did. And then when our daughter, and by our I mean all three of ours, wasn't breathing and her heart wasn't beating, she was the one that got her to live. So for that, I will always love Arizona Robbins. And right now, in this hospital, with everything she is dealing with – she needs friends to talk to and listen to her. So I did that."

"Mark – don't lecture me about Arizona one more time," Callie rolled her eyes. She had heard the same song and dance for the past four years about the blonde. "Arizona and I have also talked recently and I apologized for things. We're okay now."

"Okay now? Okay doesn't give her the four years back with her daughter that you took away from her. She lost her child four years ago and now… now she's got to deal with possibly losing another."

Callie was over being lectured by Mark again. She was so over it that she didn't even notice that Mark referenced Abe as being Arizona's child. She already felt bad enough for how she treated Arizona. She already felt enough guilt over the fact that her daughter was healthy while Arizona's was dying. Callie stood to leave the table, "Like you said, luckily he has the best cardiologist around."

"What was that?" Teddy mumbled under her breath as Callie departed.

Mark shrugged his shoulders.

"Thanks for sticking up for my friend," Teddy mumbled as she squeezed Mark's thigh tighter.

"Anytime. She's my friend too," Mark turned to gaze at his girl. He noticed that she too had dark circles under her eyes. "How is she, really?"

"Not good. None of them are. Abe's cranky because he can't get out of bed and Eli can't come visit him. Alex and Arizona are running on fumes at this point. Trying to be strong for each other and for him."

"He's going to get a heart," Mark said with conviction. "He will."

"I hope so," Teddy sighed. "I need to go check on Arizona after that exit she did."

"You want to come over tonight?"

Teddy smiled, "I'd like that. I should leave here around seven or so."

"I'll leave the door unlocked for you."

Teddy gave Mark's hand one last squeeze under the table before saying goodbye and going to check on her best friend and her family. She prayed silently as she walked that today would be the day that they would get a phone call about a heart.

**…**

It was three days later that Teddy received a phone call about a possible heart. A three-year-old boy had been struck by a car as he was playing in his driveway. He was hit by a car that his own father had been driving. The boy was on life support at a hospital across the state in Spokane. The doctors in Spokane warned Teddy that the heart, even if it was a match, wasn't a done deal. The parents of the boy didn't want to pull the life support on their son. Even though all of the doctors agreed that the boy was brain dead and had no hope of waking up from the coma, the parents didn't want to give up. They didn't want to say goodbye to their son. If Abe was going to get that heart, he needed those parents to change their minds. The cardiologist in Spokane said that they were going to give the parents the rest of the day before bringing up organ donation with them again the next morning.

Teddy was shocked when she got the phone call. After she hung up the phone she sat with her mouth open for several minutes as she processed the news of the call. They had all been hoping for weeks for a heart but, if Teddy was honest with herself, she didn't think they would get one in time. Now there was a heart within reach but still so far away. Teddy debated how to tell her friends the news. She debated if she should tell them about it at all or if she should wait until she knew for sure the next morning. She didn't want to get the family's hopes up. After some thought, she came to the conclusion that they deserved to know. That she would want to know if it were her child. Arizona and Alex had been so depressed over the last several days that even the prospect of a heart might give them the boost they needed just to survive the rest of the day.

Teddy made the long walk to Abe's PICU room. Until he got a heart he was stuck there. The room was much smaller than the regular pediatric rooms. It also didn't have a television or really any way to entertain the young boy. One night, Teddy snuck in a television from her office just so the little boy could have something to watch. It would also make his parents' lives easier if he wasn't complaining constantly of being bored. It didn't matter much though because Abe's condition was getting exponentially worse daily and his heart was struggling with each beat to keep blood pumping. The exertion of the heart as well as the medications he was on kept him asleep most of the time.

When Teddy entered the room she was greeted with the same sight she had been seeing for the last week. Abe was sleeping in bed while Arizona and Alex sat dazed in the uncomfortable chairs in the room. The two adults always perked up whenever she entered the room. She could see the fear in their eyes. They expected bad news every time she walked in. The fear was still there when she walked into Abe's room that afternoon.

"I have some news," Teddy began immediately upon entering. She needed to get this out before she changed her mind about waiting until the morning.

Arizona's looked even more afraid than she did when Teddy entered the room. "Just tell us, Ted."

"There's a heart. In Spokane. They're running more tests now to see if it is a match but so far everything looks like it is. But at the moment, the parents don't want to terminate life support let alone talk about organ donation."

"Okay…" Alex leaded. Unsure of why Teddy was even telling him about a heart that it sounded like they wouldn't even get.

"I just wanted you to know. I'm doing everything I can. If I have to go to Spokane myself to convince these parents to donate it, I will. I promise. I'll take pictures and video of Abraham and make sure they know just what they're doing by not donating their son's heart. I'll make sure they know that their son's heart can save a life," Teddy emphasized as she pulled a chair closer to the parents.

"Okay," Arizona sniffled. "Teddy, we need this heart," Arizona begged. "Look at him," Arizona motioned toward the boy in the bed. "He's getting worse every day. Today he hasn't even bugged me about seeing Eli. He's barely been awake a full hour. This is our only hope."

"We're going to get this heart, Arizona," Teddy promised her friend. "The Spokane doctors will know more tomorrow. I'll let you know when I get all the match-test results back. Are your parents coming by tonight?"

"For dinner," Alex answered. "They're bringing E and D with them. I know Eli would love to see you."

"Page me and I'll be there," Teddy squeezed her best friend's hand one more time before leaving the room.

Arizona didn't know how to take the news that she just learned. It swirled around in her head without being able to settle down. She didn't want to get her hopes up. She didn't want to let herself think about a future that included her son. She had spent the last six days trying to accept the fact that he was going to die; that she was going to lose him. She couldn't let herself think otherwise. That would only cause more pain when it didn't work out.

Alex watched his wife's face contort as she was obviously thinking over the news. He had watched her put up walls over the last week. He watched her start to shut herself off. He had seen her do this before. When he arrived in Africa and moved in with Arizona he quickly realized that she wasn't the same person she was in Seattle. She was different. She wasn't as happy or perky. She didn't smile. She didn't shine.

"_What the hell is your problem, Robbins?" Alex asked as he slammed the door to their apartment. _

_Arizona looked shocked to hear her roommate yelling at her. They had been living and working together for over four months and had never had a problem. "Uh? What are you talking about?"_

"_You! I've been putting up with your crap for months now and I'm over it. You're moody and bitchy. All the time. So you can't blame it on PMS. And today! What happened to your bedside manner? That little boy cried for an hour after you set his broken arm."_

_Arizona fought back as she got off the couch and moved to Alex who was still standing at the entrance to the apartment. "What do you expect me to do, Karev? I'm not his mother. I'm his doctor. I'm not here to coddle these kids."_

"_Cristina Yang has a better bedside manner than you do these days," Alex muttered under his breath as Arizona continued to defend herself._

_Arizona ignored his comment and continued, "You know as well as I do, that we don't have enough pain meds to waste on a kid with a fucking broken arm. I gave him a piece of candy afterward!"_

_Alex looked at the fuming blonde and realized what had gotten under her skin that day. "Oh I get it now. This is about Callie."_

"_Is not!" Arizona quickly defended._

"_Oh it is. Over the last four months you've certainly been no picnic to be around but today you took the cake. It was also the first time I've seen you set a broken bone." Alex's stance toward Arizona softened and he moved close enough to touch her, "Do not let her continue to hurt you Arizona. You can't let her ruin you. You're going to have to set a lot of broken bones over the next three years. She has no power over you anymore."_

_Arizona pouted. She knew that Alex was right. She was especially cold toward the child because it reminded her of Callie. "I know she doesn't."_

_Alex grabbed Arizona's hand and squeezed, "No, I don't think you do. You have all of this pent up anger toward her and you've got to let that go."_

"_Look who's talking, Karev," Arizona whispered to her friend._

"_That's exactly why I know that you need help. You need to let your anger out. And I know the perfect way. Do you feel up to a field trip?"_

_Arizona eyed Alex who looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. He was up to something that much she was sure of. "I guess," she huffed because she knew she really didn't have a choice. She was going on the field trip whether she wanted to or not._

_Twenty minutes later Alex was leading Arizona down a road she'd never been down before. Admittedly, she didn't venture out too much beyond their apartment and the clinic so there was a lot of Mzuzu that she didn't know. After the short walk, Alex stopped at an unmarked orange door and pushed it in. He motioned for Arizona to enter the building and quickly followed behind her. Arizona's eyes bugged out when she found out what she had just walked into._

"_You want me to do this?" Arizona questioned the man standing next to her._

"_Yep," Alex smiled. "This is a perfect way for you to get out your frustration."_

"_How'd you find this place?" Arizona asked as Alex started to put gear on her head._

"_One of the kids told me about it when I asked how he got his concussion. I come here during my lunches a few times a week. Really helps me get my pent up frustrations out."_

"_A concussion? That is exactly why I should not do this!" Arizona exclaimed as she watched Alex tape up her hands._

"_Don't worry, Zo. I'm not going to put you in the ring against an opponent… not yet at least," Alex winked._

_Arizona let Alex finish preparing her. As he worked on wrapping her hands she took in the room. In the center of the room was a large boxing ring. There were currently two men beating each other up in the ring as several of their friends cheered them on. Across the back wall, there were several people working out on heavy bags and speed bags. One thing that Arizona noticed was that there wasn't one other woman in the room._

"_Alex," Arizona bit her lip worriedly. In many ways Malawi was still a backwards society. Women were expected to be seen and not heard. She was sure that a woman in a boxing club was not a good idea. "Are you sure this is okay? I mean, me being here. You know I'm a girl right?"_

_Alex laughed, "Oh I definitely know you're a girl." He took a moment to check out his roommate so that she understood that that fact was never in question. "It'll be okay. I don't want you coming here by yourself but we can have occasional lunch dates here when you're having a bad day." Alex slipped the gloves onto Arizona's hands and tightened the strings, "Okay, ready to learn how to throw a punch?"_

_Alex spent the next hour teaching Arizona how to box. He was impressed with her punching skills. She informed him that she grew up with a Marine Corps father so one of the first things he taught her was how to throw a punch. Some of her training had been forgotten but she quickly re-learned the proper way to hit without breaking her important hands. _

_After that evening in the boxing club, Alex saw Arizona start to become the woman he met years ago at Seattle Grace. Boxing became her therapy. Sometimes while they worked out, Arizona wouldn't say a word to him and would just pound on the bag. Sometimes she would be happy and laughing with him as she joked about who she was pretending the bag to be. And sometimes he watched tears roll down her cheeks as she let her frustrations out on the bag. The boxing sessions brought them closer together and helped heal them both._

Over the last week, ever since Abe's collapse, he saw those walls go back up. The walls that he and Arizona spent so much time breaking down, went back up in a flash. Arizona fell back into her own habits. She would only smile when Abe was awake or when they were with the other kids. She was no longer the talkative woman he married; most of their time was spent sitting in silence next to Abe's bed. Only this time, he didn't have a heavy bag to force Arizona to hit. A heavy bag wouldn't be enough to help Arizona this time. He did all that he could do, hold her hand and hope that even with the walls going up, she wouldn't shut him out too.

He watched Arizona's eyes glaze over. She was deep in thought that was for sure.

"I need some space," Arizona whispered without looking at her husband. "I'll be back in a little bit."

Alex sighed. He knew this was bad. She was starting to completely shut down. For so long they had been in this together. That was their motto, that they can handle anything as long as they were together. But now Arizona wanted space. Space did not equal being together.

"You'll come back soon?" Alex question with his voice cracking with emotion.

Arizona fought back the tears. She too knew what she was doing but she couldn't help it. Being alone was how she coped. No one could hurt her if she was alone. She couldn't help but look at Alex when she heard the emotion in his voice. Seeing the tears in his eyes broke her heart even more but she really needed some time to herself. She needed to think. She needed to have a conversation with herself. To fight off the demons that were trying to take over her head and block out everyone she loved. And she couldn't do that with Alex next to her. It was something she needed to do alone.

Arizona reached out to touch Alex's cheek, "I'll be back soon. Promise." She leaned in with a kiss to remind herself of everything she needed to fight for; of why she needed to fight those walls that were rapidly going up.

**…**


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

Arizona left the PICU room and wandered the hospital with no clear destination. She wanted to run. She wanted to get as far away from the hospital as she could but that wasn't possible. She needed to be nearby in case anything happened. She walked down hospital corridors with no direction. Occasionally someone would say hello as she walked by them; Arizona just kept walking and didn't acknowledge their presence. She eventually found herself sitting in the hospital chapel.

The chapel was quiet. The rows of pews were empty. Arizona grazed her hand over the back of a pew as she entered and moved to sit down. She stared ahead at the front of the room. She stared at the candles that people had lit in prayer. Her hand absently picked up the copy of the Bible in front of her. She thumbed through it before sighing and putting it down beside her.

She leaned her head down on the back of the pew in front of her. She was lost. Arizona didn't know what she was doing in the chapel. Arizona wasn't sure about God. She wasn't raised with religion and faith. She went to church off and on until she was a teenager when she broke up with whatever beliefs she did have. She didn't understand how God could make her like girls but then also make people that wanted her dead because of that. Since her teenage years she has always continued to question faith and religion. As she studied science and became a doctor what little faith and beliefs she did have whittled away. Deep down Arizona really wanted to believe. She really did, but her belief in science never let her fully commit to God. When she moved to Malawi she was shocked to see that the people of Malawi were deeply religious. She didn't expect that. Christianity was the overwhelming religion of choice among the people. Arizona would often go to the churches and watch as the people sang and danced to celebrate God. She went more to show her face in the community so that her patients could trust her if they saw her in the same church as them. Many days in Malawi, Arizona would wake up early and watch the sun rise and she would let herself think that there has to be a God for something that beautiful to exist in the world. Then, she would go to work and watch helplessly as another young child died from gunshot or stab wounds due to tribal violence. She didn't know what God could allow those types of things to happen. She didn't know how God could be so cruel at times.

When her sons were born and they were barely surviving, when Arizona ran out of medicine to help them, she found herself begging God to let them live. When they survived she questioned whether it was the medicine or God that kept them alive. She wondered if maybe it was a combination of both. After their birth and first few months of life, she found herself going to church more and joining in with the singing and dancing instead of just watching. She still wasn't completely sold on God but she knew that there was something out there. There was something that helped her keep her sons alive. There was something more powerful than her, than everyone. Arizona knew that she and her family would never be a go to church every Sunday type of family. She would give her children the choice when they were old enough to understand, the choice to believe in whatever they wanted to – or to not believe at all. She still often wondered if she could still be a scientist and have faith at the same time.

Arizona was glad that the chapel was empty that afternoon. She needed to talk and process her thoughts aloud, something she would feel uncomfortable doing if there was someone else in the room. She was trying to work out just what she wanted to say when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Arizona's head immediately popped up and she turned to see her friend gazing down on her. Miranda Bailey looked at her with kind eyes and a look of concern.

"Hi," Arizona greeted her visitor as she scooted over so she could sit down.

Bailey immediately sat down next to the blonde and grasped her hand, "You are hard to track down." Arizona quickly reached for her cell phone, thinking that something must have happened. "Nothing's wrong," Bailey soothed her worries. "I went to check on your son and Alex was just a little concerned about you so he asked me to find you."

"I'm fine," Arizona said softly as she wiped at the tears on her face, trying to prove to Bailey and herself that she was fine when she was anything but.

Bailey stared at Arizona, nonverbally telling her that she wasn't believing a word she was saying. "Alex said you guys might have a heart."

Arizona lifted her eyes from her hands to look at her friend, "Are you religious, Bailey?"

"Most of the time, why?"

"I'm so conflicted," Arizona said as the tears started to fall heavily. "I need my son to get that heart. But how can I ask God to get him that heart? I know what it means for Abe to get a heart. It means that some other kid has to die. How can I ask God for someone to die so that my son can live?" Arizona ran her hands through her hair, "I am an awful person for even thinking those thoughts. Thinking that I want some other kid to die. Wanting some other parents to have to go through this – to lose their own child. But I don't know if I can survive losing him." Arizona chastised herself, "I'm such a selfish bitch."

Bailey pulled Arizona into a side hug. "Wanting your child to live does not make you an awful person. Or a selfish person. Here's what we're going to do," Bailey clasped Arizona's hand in hers. "We're going to pray."

"Bailey, I can't pray for another kid to die," Arizona sighed. "I just can't."

"Just pray with me, okay?"

Arizona nodded and bowed her head.

Bailey bowed her head and began talking aloud, "Lord, we need your help. We need your strength. Please, Lord, give us your strength. Give Abraham the strength to survive. Give his heart the strength to keep beating. Give him the strength to continue to beat off death until he can get a new heart. His family needs your strength as well. Give his parents and family the strength to survive this incredible test you are giving them. Give them the strength to continue to be able to be there for each other and for Abe. There is another family that needs your strength too. A family that we don't even know. There's a family that has lost their son. Please give them your strength. Give the boy the strength to go to you without fear and with an open heart. Give his parents the strength to accept his passing and let him go to be with you. Please be with his parents and give them the strength to survive their loss and allow their son to be a hero even in his death. Without your strength, Lord, we are nothing and right now we can use a reminder of the strength that you give us daily. Thank you Lord. Please have mercy on us. Amen."

Arizona whispered a quiet, "Amen," and lifted her head to meet Bailey's eyes. "Thank you."

"Teddy's going to get you that heart, Arizona."

"I hope so," Arizona sniffled.

Bailey squeezed Arizona's hand tighter, "I can't even imagine what you and Alex are going through right now. But if you need anything and I mean _anything_, you know you don't even have to ask, right? We are all here for you two. You are still family even if you did run away and leave us to go be heroes in Africa."

"Right," Arizona said as she gave her friend a weak smile. As much as Arizona hated returning to Seattle it was nice to be around such good friends during this time in their lives.

Bailey decided that she had done her part and all that she could do for the time being. She let go of Arizona and stood to get back to work. "I've got surgery to do. I'll stop by and let Alex know that you're okay."

"Thank you, Miranda. I just need a few more minutes. Tell him I'll be there soon."

Arizona watched Bailey leave the chapel before turning back to gaze at the front of the chapel. The candles burning were a beacon to Arizona. She knew she needed to do one more thing before going back to her son's hospital room.

Arizona grabbed one of the long sticks and lit it off of an already burning candle. She then moved it over one of the unlit candles and held the flame over the wick until the candle was glowing. "Tim," Arizona whispered. "I wish you could be here and know your nephews and niece. Who knows what kind of trouble you would get them into and the things that you would teach them." Arizona stopped to wipe her tears away. "If Abe has to leave us, please take care of him for me. I love you and miss you so much."

After praying with Bailey and lighting a candle for her brother, Arizona felt much better about things. As she entered the PICU, Arizona stopped short of entering Abe's room. She peeked in through the window in the door to his room. She was surprised to see that Abe was awake. She smiled as she watched Alex read a story to him. Abe was laughing. She guessed he was making fun of Alex's voices. Abe loved Alex's voices. He would often make him repeat pages of the story just to hear his high pitched grandma voice. She watched for several minutes as the smiles on Alex's face and Abe's face grew bigger. She was no longer as overwhelmed with life. She knew that she had done everything possible for her son as his mother and as a doctor. The future was simply out of her hands. She opened the door to his room hoping that in the morning they would have good news from Spokane.

"Mama," Abe stopped his laughing to greet her as she entered.

"Hey baby," Arizona smiled as she leaned over his bed to kiss his cheek and forehead before planting one on his lips.

Abe immediately wiped his mouth with his hand. "Yuck, Mama," Abe complained. He was much too old to still be kissing his mother on the lips. Only babies like his little sister did that.

As soon as Arizona entered the room Alex's eyes followed her every move. He was worried about her. She looked better than she did before she left the room. He didn't think she was faking it. It looked real. And when Arizona moved to sit in his lap, instead of on the chair next to him, he knew that it was really real. "Better?" Alex asked wanting to be vague while Abe was awake.

"Better," Arizona replied as she turned her head to give him a quick kiss.

"We was reading, Mama!" Abe demanded his parents' attention to be back on him and not each other.

"Were reading, Abe," Arizona corrected as she took the book from Alex's hands so that his hands could be put to better use by holding her around the waist. "I think we should start over since I missed the beginning."

"Yeah!" Abe squealed. He loved story time but early on in his life his parents had to limit the number of stories they would read the twins a night. If the boys had their way they would keep their parents up all night reading to them. "And Daddy has to be the Mommy voice!"

Alex rolled his eyes and placed a kiss on Arizona's shoulder as she giggled. Even when they were both reading the bedtime stories Alex always had to do the female voices. He didn't get it but it made his kids happy so he would oblige them. Alex cleared his throat and raised his voice as best he could. "As you wish, Mr. Karev," Alex said trying to sound like a woman but sounded more like an eighty-year-old smoker instead. It produced the desired effect though, Abe was laughing loudly in his bed – something that was rare as the days went on and he got sicker and sicker.

When Bailey walked by Abe's room a half hour later to ensure that Arizona had left the chapel and returned to where she belonged she was delighted to see Alex, Arizona and Abe all laughing and smiling as they read through a storybook. She said a silent prayer as she headed out for the evening that the Karev family would get their happy ending. Arizona and Alex had both been through so much in their lives and they didn't deserve to have to suffer more.

**…**

Alex and Arizona were up before the sun was the next day. Though, technically, they didn't really go to sleep. They couldn't sleep. They were too worried about what the next day would bring. They both tried not to get their hopes up about the heart but that was impossible. It was their only hope; they couldn't help but latch onto it.

Teddy had already been in to check on Abe for the morning. She was satisfied with what she heard from his heart and from the latest readouts from the machines. Abe hadn't gotten any worse overnight. It was the first day in a week that he didn't get worse. It was as if Abe too had been injected with a shot of hope even though he had no idea there was even a potential heart out there for him. Before leaving to see her other patients, Teddy assured her friends that she would come to them as soon as she heard from Spokane.

The morning seemed to drag on with no word from Teddy. Eli and Della had visited their parents for breakfast. Arizona and Alex felt tremendously guilty for the lack of time they had been spending with their other two children. It wasn't easy being a parent with one dangerously sick child and two other healthy children. They felt guilty for only spending a few hours a day with the other two children. Before Abe's turn for the worse they usually traded off being with him in the hospital so that one of them was with Abe and the other with Eli and Della at all times except for when they were sleeping. But with Abe being so sick, they both didn't want to leave him for fear that it would be the last time they'd see him alive. Arizona's parents reassured them that Della was so young that she doesn't notice their absence and Eli has been having a ball playing with his grandfather every day. The grandparents were enjoying all the time with the kids. Barbara claimed they were just making up for lost time – the two years that they only saw their grandbabies twice because they still lived in Africa. The family almost made it through the whole meal without Eli throwing a tantrum over not being allowed to see his brother. The stress of Abe's illness was hitting Eli hard. It broke Arizona's heart to see her boys kept from each other. They were two parts of a whole and when they were apart the seemed a bit lost without the other. After watching Eli break down and cry for over fifteen minutes, Alex and Arizona resolved that they would sneak him into Abe's room that evening whether Teddy approved of it or not.

After breakfast, Alex and Arizona swung by Teddy's office and were disappointed to hear that she had been in contact with Spokane and the parents had yet to make a decision on terminating life support and organ donation. Alex knew that the longer it took the parents to decide the likelihood of them agreeing to donation was getting slimmer and slimmer.

It was nearing lunchtime and they still had no word. Alex was getting antsy and losing his patience. It was his turn for some alone time. Arizona had come back calmer and in a much better mood when she left the night before, Alex wondered if it would help him as well. He decided to head down to the cafeteria to get some lunch for everyone and to steal a few minutes for himself. He left Emily and Arizona, who were busy completing the day's crossword puzzle while Abe slept, and headed to find his own peace of mind; it was his turn to wish there was a boxing bag around.

Alex soon found himself wandering down to a familiar place. He was instantaneously taken back to his intern year. It still looked the same. There was the same brick wall on one side of the hallway. The beds still lined the opposite side underneath the windows. He had fond memories of the hideout that he and the other interns found their first year in medicine.

Alex moved to one of the beds and placed his hands on it as if he were testing the mattress. After pushing down on it a few times he hopped up on the bed with his legs dangling beneath him. He put his hands behind his head and took a deep breath as he was transported back in time. Alex smiled as he thought about all the lunches they shared down there. Alex laughed out loud as he thought about his friends helping him to pass his boards and how Cristina even let him feel her up in an effort to teach him how to do a breast examination. He couldn't help but tear up as he also remembered how George also helped him that day. It had been so long since they were all interns. So much had changed. George was dead. No one had heard from Izzie in almost five years. Meredith had overcome having a crappy mom and was now a mom herself. And Cristina was on track to being the best cardiac surgeon in the country. And he – he had the family he never had growing up, the family he never knew he wanted but now couldn't live without.

"You lost?"

Alex's eyes popped open looking for the source of the voice that broke him out of his memories. "You still come down here?" he questioned when he found the source leaning against the brick wall across from him.

"Sometimes," Cristina shrugged as she hopped up next to him. "What are you doing down here?"

"Just needed to get away and think."

"What are you thinking about?" Cristina questioned.

Alex wasn't about to tell her about his problems. He was surprised that Cristina hadn't figured out his and Arizona's secret yet. It seemed like everyone knew but her. He wasn't going to be the one to let her in on it. Alex nudged her with his shoulder, "I was thinking about the time I felt you up down here."

"Gross," Cristina nudged back before glancing down at her chest. "I do have great boobs though."

"They're not bad," Alex mused as he blatantly ogled her chest.

Cristina slapped his shoulder, "I'm telling your wife you're checking out other women. Well, I would if I ever met her."

"Eh, she'd be fine with it," Alex said. He knew that his wife would be fine with it. She was the one he slept with every night. Looking isn't cheating.

"What's got you so lost in thought that you had to come down here? Besides my boobs," Cristina asked, genuinely concerned for her friend.

"We're waiting to hear about a heart in Spokane. We should have heard by now. I couldn't stand to watch Abe in pain anymore. He sleeps all the time now because of all the meds he is on just to keep him alive. It kills me to see him like that."

Cristina took in her friend's appearance. She saw his eyes fill with tears as he talked about Abe. She could see how much he cared for the little boy. She tried to give him some reassurance, "From the time I've spent with Abe, I can tell that he's a fighter. He's not going to give up so easily."

Alex agreed, "I know but he's been fighting so hard for so long. I just hope he has it in him."

"You're not going to go all Izzie on me and cut an LVAD wire or anything? 'Cause you're already too attached to the patient like Izzie was with Denny."

For some reason the comparison to Izzie and Denny made him laugh. "No, there's no wire to cut. But thanks for having faith in me."

"Hey, you're the one that went to Africa and came back married with a kid and all attached to your patient. Who knows what you are capable of after all of that. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Thanks, Cristina," Alex smiled as his stomach grumbled. "You want to go get some food?"

Cristina glanced at her watch, "Sure. I've got time. Hey, do you think Teddy will let me in on the transplant when Abe gets his heart?"

"Sure, I'll ask her to let you. You'd only be assisting her and Emily though," Alex explained. If they got the heart Alex would push for Cristina to help. He knew that she was a great surgeon and Abe could use all the help he could get. Plus, Cristina assisting on his son's surgery beat having some second or third year resident who didn't know what they were doing assist.

**…**

Alex found himself enjoying lunch time with his old friends. Those that did know about his son didn't advertise it so they kept the lunch conversation light. It was mostly making fun of patients and each other. Alex found it good to laugh with his friends and not feel guilty. He knew he needed to get back to Arizona and Abe but he also knew that being away and laughing for thirty minutes would make him a better husband and father when he returned. He decided he would also sneak in some ice cream when he went back to the PICU to make up for his hour away.

Alex was listening to a rather complex story that April was telling about a patient that she had admitted that morning for multiple fractures after falling off of his broom during a quidditch match at the University of Washington. April was very excited that there was a local quidditch league and was trying to get people to join a team with her. Alex laughed and silently thought that he was glad that Arizona wasn't there to hear the story because she would want to play too. She loved Harry Potter and wanted to start reading it to the boys as soon as they brought them home, but decided to wait until they were at least five years old so that they would appreciate the awesomeness of Harry Potter better.

"Alex!" Alex heard a voice saying his name as he listened to April's story. Alex thought he was imagining his wife's voice because he had just been thinking about her. He looked around and he didn't see her.

"Alex!" he heard it again. It was getting louder. The whole table stopped talking so it must really be her. Alex turned around to see his wife at the entrance to the cafeteria scanning the tables for him.

"Alex!" she yelled again as she found him and moved past another table, knocking over a chair in her way.

Alex stood up and steeled himself. He couldn't make out her facial expression but the only reason she would be running after him was if something was wrong with Abraham. Alex began slowly walking toward her. They met in the middle.

Arizona finally reached her husband and flung herself in his arms. "We got the heart," she mumbled into his chest. All Alex heard was a bunch of garbles.

Alex pushed Arizona out of his chest and held her by her shoulders so that he could understand her better. "What? What's wrong with Abe?"

Arizona shook her head wildly. Her blonde hair swished in the air around her. She smiled brightly as happy tears streamed down her face. "We got the heart!" she squealed as she launched herself back into his arms.

Alex couldn't believe it so he asked again, "What did you just say?"

"We got the heart, babe."

"Really?" Alex asked mimicking his wife's huge smile.

"Really," she confirmed.

"Wow. Wow," Alex lost the ability to form a coherent thought. Everything they had been waiting for since Abe was born was coming true. Alex picked Arizona up and spun her around until she tapped on his back to stop because she was getting dizzy.

The table full of their friends looked on with wonder. They couldn't hear their conversation but they saw the smiles and they couldn't miss Alex excitedly twirling Arizona in the middle of the room. They were still smiling when Arizona, in front of the entire cafeteria, pulled Alex's head down to her level and planted a sloppy kiss on his lips. Alex immediately wrapped his arms around Arizona to keep her in place while he opened his mouth to let their tongues meet. They poured all of the emotion of the past few weeks into the kiss. While they wouldn't be out of the woods until Abe fully accepted the transplant, it felt like they were finally able to breathe without a brick on their chests.

Cristina's mouth fell open when she saw Arizona kissing Alex. "What the hell is that?" she questioned as she pointed a finger at the two who were still going at it.

The rest of the table shrugged their shoulders.

"Wait – they're together?" Cristina asked as she looked at all of the faces around the table who were giving her blank looks. "You all knew?"

Everyone nodded their heads. Then all at once everyone started talking over each other trying to figure out when and how everyone figured it out. No one knew that anyone else knew. Everyone thought that they were the only one to figure out the big secret of the babysitters.

"Shut it!" Cristina yelled trying to get everyone's attention. "So wait – Alex and Arizona are _married_? So that is _Arizona's _baby that we see around here?" Everyone nodded their heads. Cristina let out a chuckle, "Well that explains why I never could find his wife. How did you find out April?" Cristina asked the one person she thought she could count on to help her in Operation Babysitters. When they started the Operation April was the only other one that seemed to be just as curious to what was going on with Alex as she was. Cristina thought it had to do with a still lingering crush April had on Alex.

"I saw Alex one night with their son. The healthy one though he did have a cast on his arm," April started to explain.

"Eli," Callie added, helping April with the details.

"Right, Eli. Well, he was running down the hall away from Alex and I just happened to be in his path. When he stopped and Alex caught up he called Alex daddy so I put it together," April shrugged. "I didn't put together the Arizona part until I saw them eating in the cafeteria one night together. I could tell by the way they looked at each other that they were together."

"Hold up!" Cristina exclaimed. "The heart kid and his brother are _their kids_?"

"Yeah, they adopted them when they were babies," Callie explained to the still confused woman across from her.

Cristina went through every interaction she had with Alex and Arizona over the past month and still couldn't believe that she didn't put it together. "Well, that explains why they've been so upset over their patient. And Mer, you knew? And you didn't tell me?"

"I was at the park with the baby and she was playing with Eli. Mrs. Robbins started talking to me and basically spilled the whole story – they were here with her daughter and her husband waiting for a heart transplant for their grandson, blah blah," Meredith explained like it was no big deal. She honestly hadn't told Cristina about it because she could understand Alex and Arizona's desire for privacy. If she was going through something that serious with her daughter she would want her privacy as well.

Cristina was still grumbling about how no one told her what was going on with Alex and Arizona. "How the hell did they get together? And have kids? She's gay!" Cristina asked as she looked at Callie as if Callie would have all of the answers about her former lover.

Callie shrugged, "I think that is something you'll have to ask them." Callie glanced over her shoulder to see Alex and Arizona still standing together, though with their lips detached, but with huge smiles on their faces. "It looks like they finally got some good news though. So maybe they'll be in a better mood to tell you their story now."

Alex and Arizona were so consumed with their good news that they forgot that they were in the middle of the very public cafeteria.

"After that show you just put on, I think the secret's out," Alex whispered into Arizona's ear as he gestured with his head toward the table of their friends that was now staring at the couple.

Arizona smiled and leaned in to brush her lips against his again, "I don't even care."

Alex leaned his forehead against his wife's, "Does Abe know?" He really hoped they hadn't told the boy yet as he wanted to be there to see his reaction.

"No, he's still sleeping and I wanted you to be there. Plus, they don't want to get him too excited before the heart is here. Teddy's leaving to get the heart in about an hour. She'll be back in less than four hours and then…" Arizona paused to lock eyes with Alex's. She hadn't seen his eyes that happy since Della was born. "And then they'll do the transplant."

"By the end of the day Abe will have a new heart," Alex couldn't keep the smile off of his face. "Let's get your parents and the kids over here. I don't give a damn about the rules; I want to spend the next few hours together as a family."

"I love you," Arizona said softly. The emotion of the moment was finally catching up to her. The happiness was giving way to relief but also worry about the transplant.

Alex could sense his wife's mood shift. He could also sense that she was starting to worry about the transplant. "I love you. And everything is going to be okay. We got a heart and that is the hardest part. Everything else is going to be okay. I promise." Alex leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Now can we get out of here and get away from all of these prying eyes?" He could see the goose bumps form on her neck as he breathed closer to her ear and down her neck, "Maybe we could find somewhere to release some of the pent up emotions from the day?"

"Abe is asleep," Arizona mumbled into Alex's shoulder as she mulled over the idea he put into her head. "And we do have a bit before we need to talk to Teddy before she goes. But we have to be quick."

Alex grabbed Arizona's hand and led her out of the cafeteria and toward an on-call room, "Oh, I can do quick."

**…**

Less than fifteen minutes later, Alex and Arizona were out of breath as they lay on the on-call room bed. The sheets were bunched at the bottom of the bed with their clothes. Alex was on his back trying to catch his breath as Arizona rolled over to rest her head on his chest, leaving a kiss right on top of his heart.

"Are we bad parents for having sex while our son is waiting for a heart transplant instead of being with him?" Arizona questioned as parental guilt was starting to take over her.

"No," Alex rubbed Arizona's back. "We've been with him practically twenty-two hours a day for the last week. He's sick of us. Plus, Emily is with him. And she's his second favorite person in the world after your dad."

"We're definitely leaving this out of the story when we tell him about how he got his new heart when he's older."

Alex laughed loudly, "Definitely." Alex twirled a lock of Arizona's hair in his fingers. He loved her hair when it was curly like it had been this week. "I'm so happy."

"Me too," Arizona smiled.

"I think this is the last complication we're going to have with them. I can feel it. I know that everything from here on out is going to be okay at least health-wise."

"Me too," Arizona said again wanting nothing more to believe her husband's words. The twins were almost three years old. It had been three years of almost constant worry. She was sure that her heart couldn't take much more of it.

"I know it," Alex kissed the top of Arizona's head. "Think we should go back now? I bet Emily is wondering where we are."

"Oh I'm sure she knows where we are," Arizona laughed as she reached down to the bottom of the bed to grab their clothes.

Alex and Arizona put their clothes back on and Arizona attempted to make her hair look decent. She had barely showered over the past week so her sex hair and her regular hair were pretty much the same look over the past week. They were all smiles as they made their way back up to the PICU. When they peeked into the room they were happy to note that there had been no changes. Abe was still sleeping with Emily sitting by his bedside. They quietly opened the door, hoping not to disturb the sleeping boy. Emily glanced up at their entrance, looked at her watch and then smirked at the couple who refused to look her in the eye.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Teddy arrived and went over the timeline for the rest of the day. She would fly to Spokane and retrieve the heart. Emily, with Cristina's help, would prepare Abe for the transplant so that as soon as Teddy returned they would be able to do the surgery right away. Everyone was all smiles as Teddy left to head up to the roof to get her ride to Spokane. As soon as Teddy left, Arizona called her parents to have them come over. With Emily's help and Arizona's smile, they convinced the nurses on the floor that it was okay to allow an exception to the rules this one time, to allow the family to be together for the hours that led up to Abe's transplant surgery.

The room soon filled with laughter and smiles as Eli and Abe were reunited. The boys had strict rules to play quietly. If Abe's heart rate got too high Eli would have to go away and they both didn't want that so they respected the rules.

Cristina had been going over Abe's case to prepare for the transplant when she decided to check on the patient in person. She looked in through the window and couldn't help but smile as she watched the family laughing together. She was still unsure how this very unique family came together but even she couldn't deny how happy they all appeared together. She knew she'd get to the bottom of the how and why but for the moment she decided to let the family enjoy their moment as she turned away and headed back to the nurses' desk to return Abe's chart.

**…**


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

Arizona couldn't stop glancing at her watch. She knew that any minute the nurses were going to come in and start prepping Abe for surgery. This was a good surgery. This is what she had been waiting for for almost three years, but that didn't make her any less anxious. Her son was going to be put under anesthesia and have his chest opened – there was nothing good about that. She was trying to stay calm. She was trying to enjoy the last moments with Abraham before he had to go to surgery but it was hard to not worry.

The excitement of the past few hours had worn off. The happiness of getting a donor heart was replaced with terror of what could go wrong during surgery. Arizona had seen kids die during routine appendectomies so she knew all too well how easily something could go wrong in the much more difficult surgery Abe was having that day.

They had just sent the grandparents back to the hotel to wait and put Eli and Della to bed. Alex promised to keep them updated through text messages and phone calls as Abe's surgery went on. They hoped that when Eli woke up the next morning they would be able to share the good news that his brother had a brand new heart.

Arizona and Alex sat on either side of Abe on his hospital bed as they waited for Emily to come in to start prepping him. Abe was exhausted after having his whole family come to visit him for a few hours. Being social took a lot out of him. He was struggling to keep his eyes open as his father read to him. Arizona watched as his eyelids kept closing as he listened to the story of Ferdinand the bull. They kept staying closed longer and longer each time he blinked. She knew that Emily would be in any minute and they still hadn't told Abe about the surgery. Teddy didn't want them to tell him too soon in case his reaction caused a spike in his heart rate which could cause his heart to fail before she would be able to get back with the heart.

Arizona made eye contact with Alex as he turned the page in the book. She nodded her head down to the little boy between them and raised her eyebrows. Alex understood her message. It was time to tell him.

Even though he was more asleep than he was awake, Abe noticed when his father's soothing voice stopped reading to him. It took a lot of effort on his part, but Abe quickly turned his head to look up at his dad and give him a pitiful glare – hoping that would spurn him to keep reading the story.

"Daddy!" Abe whined as his eyes met his father's. "Story!"

Alex leaned down to place a kiss on his son's head, "Abe, Mama and I need to tell you something."

Abe's head twirled around to look at his mother who also leaned down to kiss his head with a smile.

"Bubba, in a few minutes Aunt Em is going to be here and she's going to take you to have another surgery," Arizona calmly explained to Abe hoping that her gentle voice would keep Abe calm. It didn't.

"No!" Abe cried. "No surgery!"

"Abe," Alex said quietly. "This is a good surgery. It's going to make you better."

"No," Abe continued to cry. That's what they told him before. That surgery would make him feel better. He had had so many surgeries before and they rarely made him feel better.

"Remember how we told you that you need a new heart. That Aunt Teddy couldn't fix your old one anymore?" Arizona said as she pulled Abe closer into her body.

"Yeah," Abe sniffled, still crying. He knew all too well that his heart was bad. That was why he was still stuck in the hospital. That was why he couldn't see his brother or sister or grandparents.

"Well, Aunt Teddy found you a brand new heart," Alex told Abe happily. He hoped that the excited tone in his voice would stop Abe's tears and make the boy smile again.

Abe looked at his mother then his father. He saw the smiles on their faces. "New heart?"

Arizona nodded. "Yes. A brand new heart. Just for you. Aunt Teddy is picking it up right now so she and Aunt Em can put it in you," Arizona tapped on Abe's chest where his new heart was going to go.

Slowly Arizona and Alex watched as Abe's face lit up. He was happy. Then they watched as the smile fell. "No surgery," Abe shook his head, clearly not wanting to be cut open again even if it did mean a new heart.

Alex gently picked Abe up and sat him in his lap and Abe looped his arms around his father's neck. "It's the only way to get the new heart, bud," Alex whispered into his son's tiny ear as he held him close and comforted him.

Arizona scooted closer to be near her boys and rested her head on Alex's shoulder. She loved watching her husband with their kids. "It's going to be okay, bubba," Arizona said as she gazed into her son's deep brown eyes that were still filled with tears. "You'll get your heart. Then you'll spend another couple of weeks here in the hospital getting strong. And then we'll be home just in time for your birthday party." Arizona hoped that reminding her son of the party planned at the local indoor children's jungle gym complete with multiple bounce houses would help dry his tears.

"Promise?" Abe asked his mother.

Arizona gulped silently. She knew she couldn't promise that everything would go smoothly. She knew that it was difficult to promise anything in life but little kids didn't know that. They still believed in magic and miracles. Arizona held out her pinky toward her son, "I promise, baby."

Abe took his mother's pinky with his own and linked them together. "Can I get a puppy for my birthday?" Abe smiled brightly.

"Who's getting a dog?" Emily asked from the doorway.

Abe answered, "Me!"

Emily shot her sister a look of disbelief. There was no way that Arizona would agree to getting a dog. She had a newborn, two toddlers and an overgrown child for a husband. She had her hands full without having a dog to take care of as well.

Alex and Arizona opted to ignore their son's request. He and his brother had been begging them for a dog ever since their best friend from playgroup got a dog before they left for Africa. Alex tried telling them that they got something so much better than a dog – a little sister, but they still wanted a dog. Instead of risking upsetting Abe before his surgery, they just ignored it and turned the focus to Emily. Truthfully, both Arizona and Alex wanted a dog but they thought that the other didn't so they always said no when they discussed it. Arizona and Alex both began to think that maybe a dog would be just the right birthday present for the boys – if they could convince their better half.

"I think Aunt Em wants to finish reading you your bedtime story before you go night-night for your surgery," Arizona told Abe while still looking at her sister.

Emily glanced at her watch and sighed. She had time to read to him if she read quickly. "Okay, since we're still waiting on Dr. Cristina I guess I can read."

"Yay!" Abe exclaimed as Arizona stood up from the bed so her sister could take her spot. Alex quickly deposited the boy from his lap into his sister-in-laws as she found where they left off in the story.

"That went better than I thought," Alex whispered to Arizona as they stood at the back of the room watching Emily read to Abe.

Arizona nodded her head, "I expected a full blown meltdown."

"From you or from him?" Alex teased as he wrapped his arms around his wife from his place behind her.

"Both, honestly," Arizona sighed into her husband's embrace. It was the one place where she always felt safe.

Alex rested his chin on Arizona's shoulder as they both watched Emily read to their boy. "It's going to be okay. Do you want me to pinky promise?"

Arizona turned her head to capture Alex's lips before pulling back and whispering, "I'll take a sealed with a kiss promise instead."

Cristina had perfect timing when she entered the PICU room as Emily had just finished Abe's bedtime story. Emily reviewed the procedure with Alex and Arizona like she would any other family before surgery. A nurse came in to give Abe his antibacterial bath but Arizona quickly took over the job for her. Cristina administered one more dose of anti-rejection medicines before declaring that he was fully prepped and ready for surgery.

"Give us a minute?" Alex looked toward Cristina and Emily who nodded and left the room.

Arizona tried to keep the tears at bay. She didn't want Abe to see her cry. If he saw her cry then he was going to think something was wrong and scare him. Arizona pulled Abe into her arms and he nuzzled into her neck. "You be good for Aunt Teddy and Aunt Em in there, okay bubba? Daddy and I will be there when you wake up." Arizona pressed her lips to the side of Abe's head. "I love you so so much."

"Love you too, Mama," Abe mumbled into her neck as he pressed a kiss into it.

Arizona pulled Abe out of her embrace and planted a kiss on his lips before letting Alex take his turn. She subtly turned her head and wiped at her eyes so that Abe couldn't see the tears on her face.

"Be strong for me and Mama, okay?" Alex asked Abe who now had his son in the same position that Arizona did moments before. "I love you, buddy."

Abe wrapped his little arms around his father even tighter. "Love you Daddy."

Alex poked his head out of the room to let Emily and Cristina know that they were ready for them to take him to the operating room. Arizona held onto Abe's hand as they pushed the stretcher down the hallway. When they reached the set of doors that Arizona and Alex couldn't go past, the parents both pressed one last kiss onto their son's forehead before watching Emily lead him down and into surgery. Alex was surprised that Arizona didn't immediately fall apart into his arms. Instead, she stoically said she was going to call her parents and would meet him in the waiting room.

"He's going to be okay," Alex heard from behind him. He turned, surprised to see Cristina still standing there.

"I hope so," he said weakly as he rubbed his hand over his forehead. He had been in this position too many times. Too many times he watched one of his kids be taken back into surgery. It was nerve-wracking every time.

Cristina reached out to comfort her friend, "In case you don't remember, but I'm the best."

Alex snorted, "Right."

"I'm serious."

"Just take care of him okay?" Alex pleaded with his eyes.

Cristina gave Alex a small smile, "I will. But then I expect the full story of this. Of you and Roller Girl."

"You keep my son alive and I'll answer your questions."

Cristina nodded and pushed the doors open to take her to scrub in. Never did she think that when she woke up that day that she would be performing a heart transplant on Alex Karev's son – Alex Karev's son with Arizona Robbins. This would be one of the most important surgeries she would do in her life. She couldn't be involved in a surgery that killed one of her friend's children. Cristina had to push those thoughts from her mind. She needed to pretend that this was any other patient. Cristina put her game face on and went to scrub in.

**…**

It would be a six hour procedure if everything went according to plan. Both parents assumed their normal waiting room stances. Arizona was pacing and Alex was sitting in the uncomfortable chairs with jittery legs.

This time the wait was different. Their secret was full blown out in the open. At least twice an hour one of their former coworkers was coming in to sit with them and to keep them company for a few minutes and offer them food and coffee. Their efforts were always politely declined but were very much appreciated.

After hour three, Arizona had finally given up on pacing around the waiting room. She was tired not only physically but emotionally as well. It was after midnight and she didn't remember the last time she even slept more than two hours at a time. Her body was beginning to shut down but she refused to give in until she knew that her baby was safely out of surgery with a brand new heart in his chest.

Arizona fell into the chair next to Alex who had his head cradled in his hands that were resting on his knees. He was startled by the sudden presence of someone next to him and his head popped up. He gave a relieved smile when he realized that it was his wife. He wrapped his arm around Arizona's shoulders and tugged her as close as he could with the chairs' arm rests between them. She leaned her head against his shoulder and allowed her body to relax for the first time since the surgery began. Alex pressed his lips softly into her temple as he held her. They didn't need to say anything to each other. They both knew what the other was thinking – their worries, their hopes of what was going on in the operating room down the hall.

Almost three hours later, Arizona and Alex had never been more relieved when Teddy walked into the waiting room with a smile on her face. She knew that they could tell by her face that everything went well but it always helped to hear the words.

"Everything went perfectly," Teddy declared.

Arizona burst into tears again. This time they were happy tears. After being attacked with hugs by Arizona and surprisingly Alex as well, Teddy excused herself and let her friends know that Emily would come get them when Abe was out of recovery and set up in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.

Eight hours after sending their son into surgery Arizona and Alex were allowed into the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit to sit with their son. It would be another day before he would be strong enough to come off of the ventilator. Three to five days after that he would be moved back up to a pediatric room where he would stay until he could go home. The plan was for Abe to stay in the hospital for another three to four weeks to recover and ensure that he didn't reject the heart. While rejection could occur later down the road, the highest odds were in the first three weeks before dropping dramatically. In less than a month their nightmare could be over and just in time to celebrate the twins third birthday.

Even with the possibility of Abe rejecting the heart looming over their heads that night was the first night in over a month that Alex and Arizona slept peacefully even with the nurses constantly coming in and out of the room to check on the patient.

The next morning when Arizona woke up Abe was still alive. She quickly scanned the monitors and was pleased with what they showed. She grabbed the chart at the end of the bed and again was happy that everything seemed to be going well in her son's recovery. Arizona couldn't help but run out of the room and grab a stethoscope from the supply room. She smiled when she placed it on Abe's chest and heard a perfect heartbeat. It was strong and normal. Tears of joy streamed down her face. She had never once heard a perfect heartbeat from his chest. She had been waiting to hear that perfect noise since he was born.

"_They're stable for now," Alex sighed as he took a seat next to Arizona and the incubator. It was the first chance he got to really look at the babies. For the past three hours he had been doing everything possible to keep them alive that he didn't step back and really look at them. They barely even looked like babies. They were so small and frail. Their bodies and organs were barely formed. Their skin was so wrinkly and hung on their tiny bones. They had tubes coming out of everywhere. They had to be fed through veins in their body because they hadn't developed the ability to suck yet. They were on ventilators because their lungs weren't developed. Their eyes were taped closed in an attempt to allow them time to develop without damage. They didn't cry. They didn't move. They barely looked alive._

_Alex turned to his boss who was sitting next to him writing in the babies' charts. Arizona looked exhausted. They had been at the clinic for almost twenty-four hours without rest. _

_Arizona finished scribbling a note before turning to Alex, "Okay, let's review everything they need to survive. Let's go over all of their known conditions and what medicines and equipment we'll need."_

_It took over two hours for them to go over each medical issue with both twins. It seemed like they both had a never ending list of issues and that was just what they could tell with the equipment they had in the clinic. With more sophisticated equipment their lists would probably double. If the babies could survive the week they would have a decent chance of survival, though with surviving longer a host of new health problems would likely appear. Arizona knew that these two baby boys would be struggling to survive for years to come._

"_The biggest issue for the next forty-eight hours will be their hearts and lungs," Arizona summarized. She stood up and grabbed her stethoscope to listen to the boys' hearts one more time. "Baby B's heart sounds good but Baby A has a definite murmur – what that is a sign of I'm not sure yet. You'll need to keep a close eye on it while I'm gone getting supplies."_

_Alex nodded his head and took notes. He was going to be responsible for their care while Arizona headed to Lilongwe to get necessary medicines and machinery to keep the babies alive. If Arizona returned and found one of the babies had died, Alex knew that Arizona would have his head. _

_Alex looked up from his notes to see Arizona holding one hand of each of the babies. She was getting attached. Alex wanted to warn her but she was his boss and he didn't think that would go over well. He was worried that she would get attached and then they would lose one or both. Her attachment only made his job of keeping them alive while she was gone that much more important. Alex put down his note pad and joined her by the incubator. Arizona let go of one of the baby's hands to allow Alex to take it. _

"_They need names," Arizona commented without looking up at him. "We're going to keep them alive. But, just in case, they need names. They can't die as Baby A and Baby B."_

"_Shouldn't their family name them?" Alex questioned._

_Arizona's eyes looked up to find his. "You know as well as I do that no one is going to claim these babies." _

_Alex nodded. He knew that she was right. With the mother dying in childbirth these babies had no hope of being claimed by their father or other relatives. Families in Malawi were struggling to survive under normal circumstances, they wouldn't take in two babies who were going to need serious medical care for the next few years if not the rest of their lives. People who could barely feed themselves wouldn't want the burden of the two premature infants even if they were their own family. _

"_How about you name one and I name one?" Alex asked his boss._

_Arizona stroked her baby's hand, "Okay, I have Baby B so I'll name him and you have Baby A."_

"_Any guidelines? I mean, we don't want to give them some weird names like celebrities do, do we?" _

_Arizona laughed, "Definitely not. It seems like most of the kids we see here have Christian names. Parents aren't giving babies traditional African names here anymore."_

"_Christian name, got it," Alex replied before staring at the boy whose hand he held. He didn't want to mess this up. This baby would be stuck with this name for his life or at least until he was adopted by a family._

_Arizona and Alex both took time to think about their name choices. They stared at the babies. They wanted the names to fit perfectly. _

"_Okay," Arizona and Alex said in unison as they proclaimed to have their names chosen._

"_You have Baby A so you should go first," Arizona told Alex. She was curious as to what he would pick. She always felt that the name someone gave to a child could tell a lot about that person – if they chose a trendy, popular, unique, weird or traditional name. Even within the Christian name guideline he could still pick a pretty weird name. _

"_Abraham Timothy," Alex smiled as he looked at the baby._

_Arizona was shocked. She couldn't believe that he would include her brother's name into his name selection. She was sure that Timothy was for her brother. A month earlier Arizona had confided in Alex about her brother after he caught her crying in her office on the anniversary of his death. There was no way that Alex giving the baby Timothy as a middle name was a coincidence._

_Choosing to ignore the middle name choice she instead focused on the first name, "You named him after the guy that was going to send his son to his death?"_

"_The story of Abraham is one that always stuck out to me. I didn't go to church much but I do remember the story of the dude that was willing to sacrifice his son because God wanted him to do so. He had so much faith in God that he was willing to lose his son. I think this little guy needs all the faith he can get right now and if he can get any just because he is named after a man of such strong faith, then I'll take it."_

"_I like it," Arizona latched on to Abe's tiny hand. "Hi baby Abe. We're going to take such good care of you."_

"_Your turn," Alex prodded Arizona into sharing her name choice._

_Arizona let go of Abe's hand and took hold of the one that she was going to name, "Elijah Michael."_

_Alex gasped at her middle name choice. He felt honored that she would include a part of him in the baby's name. Like Arizona, he chose to ignore commenting the middle name choice. They both knew where the middle name choices came from. They didn't need to be acknowledged. "I don't know the story of Elijah."_

"_Elijah was a prophet of Israel. God spoke directly to him. He was far from a perfect man but God still spoke to him. I guess I had the same thinking as you, that maybe his name could get him a little extra help from God."_

_Alex gazed at the tiny baby, "He looks like an Elijah." Alex nudged Arizona with his hip, "We're not too bad at this baby naming thing. They're way better than Apple or Sparrow."_

"_Totally," Arizona concurred. "I'm going to go to my office and start making phone calls to Lilongwe now that it's morning. I'm also going to get them to send over one of the peds guys from the main hospital to help out while I'm gone for the next day or so, so you can focus on the babies. Time to go be charming so that Abe and Eli have a chance to live. You'll be fine here?"_

"_Yeah, I'm good," Alex answered. "I'll page you if there's any change."_

"_Okay. I'll come say goodbye before I leave for the airport."_

_After less than one day with the babies Alex and Arizona were attached to them. Giving them names only cemented that. The attachment and bond that Arizona had formed with the babies only encouraged her to fight harder to get the supplies they needed to keep the babies alive. Six months later she would take those two babies home as her own._

It had taken three years but Arizona was finally able to listen to Abe's heart and not hear a murmur, to not hear signs of a bad heart. Arizona couldn't help but let out a squeal which woke her sleeping husband from his chair. He immediately saw the tears in her eyes and his mind went to the worst but then he saw the smile on her face and quickly let those bad thoughts go. She shoved the stethoscope into his hands and told him to listen. He couldn't help but smile as well.

"It's perfect," he commented before removing the stethoscope from Abe's chest and scooping Arizona up in his arms. "It's perfect," he whispered into her ear.

**…**


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

It had been a week since the transplant and Abe had finally been moved to a regular room. So far Abe had accepted the heart with no problems at all. He was getting stronger each day. Arizona and Alex knew he was feeling better when he told them to go away that morning. Abe was sick of his parents. He loved them but needed some variety in his visitors. He was tired of their hovering and thinking that every time he sneezed or coughed something was wrong with him. Now that he was in a regular room he could have others visit him again. Barbara and Daniel wasted no time in coming to the hospital as soon as Abe was allowed visitors. The grandparents promptly kicked Alex and Arizona out of the room and told them not to come back until they were called. Arizona left to take Emily to the airport who was once again returning home to Boston and back to her regular job but with the promise to return for Abe's official discharge. Alex didn't know what to do with his free time. Eli wanted to be with Abe and Della had gone with Arizona so he had nothing to do and nowhere to go. He ended up where everyone went when they had nothing to do in the hospital – the cafeteria.

Alex grabbed a milkshake and settled into a table off to the side of the large room. He pulled out his cell phone and went about checking his e-mail. He had barely opened his Boston work e-mail since they left for Africa almost two and a half months ago. He was almost afraid to see what was waiting for him. When his inbox fully loaded with over four hundred unread e-mails, he promptly shut his e-mail application and instead opened a game of Angry Birds. Those e-mails had waited this long, they could keep another day.

He didn't know how long he had been immersed in the addicting world of trying to fling birds at pigs when he was startled by a tray hitting the table. He looked up to see Meredith and Cristina glaring at him. He quickly hit his home button to end the game and shoved the phone into his pocket.

"What's up?" Alex asked the two ladies who sat on either side of him, hoping to break the ice. He was a little afraid of the women. They looked like they were ready to attack him and eat him for lunch instead of what was on their trays.

"What's up?" Cristina parroted him and then turned to Meredith. "Seriously? He shows up here out of the blue, years after leaving without even saying goodbye and for over a month he basically lies to us about why he is here and now he has the nerve to ask us 'What's up?'"

"Cristina, give him a break. He's kind of been going through a lot," Meredith tried to calm her friend down. "You know, his kid almost dying on him and all."

"Listen, I'm sorry," Alex held his hands up in surrender toward Cristina. "We really didn't think we would even be here long enough for people to need to know. We wanted to get in, get Abe fixed up well enough to get back home and then get out. This place doesn't have the best memories for either of us."

"Spill," Cristina demanded without hesitation.

Alex took a sip of his shake. He knew what she wanted but he still played dumb, "Spill what?"

Cristina rolled her eyes, "Spill how, over the course of the last four years, you ended up married with three kids to Seattle Grace's favorite former lesbian."

Alex spent the next half of an hour explaining how he and Arizona had to get married to adopt the twins and how the fake marriage turned into a real one. He answered all of their questions within reason; he wasn't willing to share the more intimate details of his marriage with his old friends.

"I still don't get it. Arizona was gay. Like _gay_ gay. I lived with her and Torres for half a year. I saw them all over each other all the time. I saw things that my eyes cannot unsee!" Cristina exclaimed after listening to Alex talk about the past four years of his life.

Alex scrunched his nose, "Please don't share those details. I don't need to think about my wife having sex with anyone besides me – male or female, no matter how hot that may or may not have been."

"Oh shit!" Cristina exclaimed as a light bulb went off in her head. "You've slept with Arizona, obviously, and you also slept with Callie who has obviously slept with Arizona. Damn, you guys are a freaky threesome." Cristina took a moment to take in what she just realized before continuing, "But seriously, how did you turn her?" Cristina asked.

"Cristina!" Meredith admonished her friend's lack of tact.

Alex sighed. "I didn't turn her. We just fell in love. You can't help who you fall in love with. She just happened to fall in love with a guy instead of a girl."

Alex's phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out to see a text message from Arizona. She was back from the airport and was wondering where he was at in the hospital.

"That Roller Girl?" Cristina asked.

"Yeah," Alex replied as he texted back to his wife.

"Tell her to come here. Maybe she'll tell me how she ended up with you. She definitely married down," Cristina continued to harass her friend.

A few minutes later, Arizona bounced into the cafeteria with her daughter in her arms. Cristina moved down a chair so that Arizona could sit next to Alex. Alex quickly relieved Arizona of their baby and proceeded to lavish her face with kisses. Arizona immediately went to take a sip of Alex's milkshake and was disappointed when she found that it was empty. A pout quickly formed on her face and Alex took that as a hint that she would like him to fetch her a milkshake of her own.

"So, Robbins…or is it Karev now?" Cristina questioned the blonde as soon as Alex left the table. She knew that she would only have a few minutes to get some answers out of her. Once Alex returned she knew her questions would have to be tamer or she'd have to face Alex's wrath.

"Both," Arizona replied. She was more than ready to face the firing squad of questions. She knew once her marriage became public knowledge she would get interrogated sooner or later by Alex's friends. "Robbins for work, Karev for everything else."

"Have you always been bi or is Karev just that good?" Cristina asked without caring that she was being crude.

Again, Meredith admonished her friend, "Cristina!"

Arizona laughed, "It's fine. Trust me, it's nothing we haven't already heard before from everyone else in our lives. You should have heard my Dad."

**…**

_Arizona was pacing in the living room of their small house. Her ten-month old sons were sitting in their exersaucers staring at her as she mumbled to herself. Her head snapped up when she heard the front door open and Alex walked into the room._

"_Hi honey, I'm home," Alex smiled as he leaned in to steal a kiss from his wife. When she didn't kiss him back he pulled back and noticed for the first time her frazzled appearance. He then turned to the boys who were now reaching for him and babbling in their baby language. Alex stepped back from Arizona to pick up a boy in each of his arms. "What's wrong with Mama, boys?"_

_After giving each son a kiss on the head he placed them back in their exersaucers with a handful of Cheerios to entertain themselves with while he turned his attention back on his wife. "Seriously, what's wrong?"_

"_It's Sunday," Arizona stated._

_Alex sighed, "I know and I'm sorry I had to go into the clinic on the weekend but you know I wouldn't have gone in if it wasn't important."_

"_It's not that," Arizona stopped his ramble. "I know that it was important. Saving a tiny human's life is always important. It's Sunday," Arizona sighed again as if that explained everything and sat on the couch where her leg started twitching nervously. "Which means that my parents are expecting me to Skype them in less than thirty minutes."_

"_Okay…" Alex tried to get Arizona to open up more._

"_I'm going to tell them about us. I need to tell them about us," Arizona looked up to make eye contact with Alex and he could see the worry in her eyes. "I'm more nervous about this than when I told them I was gay. But Em says they're starting to suspect something is going on with me and they've been questioning her and she can't keep them off the trail any longer."_

_Alex took Arizona's hands in his. "It's going to be okay. They're still going to love you even if you do happen to like boys – or rather just one particularly handsome man," Alex smirked. "I'll be right there with you if you want."_

"_Thanks," Arizona smiled and squeezed his hand. "But I need to do this by myself. Though I'm sure my father will want to speak with you after I spill the beans."_

"_Whatever you need, baby."_

_Arizona took a deep breath, "Okay, I'm going to go call them."_

"_I'll be feeding the munchkins. Yell if you need me."_

_With one last squeeze of Alex's hands, Arizona stood and walked into the bedroom. Her nerves only got worse once she opened the laptop and hit call on her Skype application. She took deep, calming breaths that she learned to do in yoga classes but it didn't help – she was still a mess. It was taking her parents forever to answer. She hoped that they were home because she had spent all morning preparing herself for this and she didn't think she could get the courage to do it again anytime soon._

"_Hello daughter," Daniel greeted Arizona as he saw her face appear on his computer. _

_Arizona smiled as she heard her father's familiar greeting, "Hello father. Where's mom?"_

"_Oh she's coming. She was watching some documentary on TV. You know her, if Oprah endorses it she's going to watch it," Daniel studied his daughter's face. She looked weird to him. He was used to seeing her tired these days after all she did have two infants but this was a different look and he couldn't place it. He figured he'd need to get her talking first to get it out of her, "So what's up buttercup? How's your week been?"_

_Arizona decided to start with small talk, plus she wanted to wait for her mom to get there so she only had to say it once, "It's been good. Lots of sick kids to fix – the usual. How's Boston? Alex told me the Sox moved into first place so you must be happy about that."_

"_They did. Your mother and I have tickets to a game next week with my VFW friends."_

"_Don't go getting into any trouble, old man! You know Emily's not going to bail you out!" Arizona teased knowing full well the trouble her father used to get into with his old Marine Corps friends._

"_I wouldn't do anything that you wouldn't do," Daniel winked as Barbara sat next to him. _

"_Hi Zona!" Barbara greeted her daughter. "Where are my grandbabies at?"_

_Arizona rolled her eyes. Arizona was no longer the center of attention with her parents – now it was all about the grandchildren. She was surprised her mom even said hello to her first before asking about the boys. "Alex is feeding them lunch. Don't worry, he'll bring them in after we talk for a bit."_

"_You sound serious. Is something wrong? Are the boys sick again? Do they need more surgeries?" Barbara rattled off a list of questions once she noticed her daughter's pensive look and tone._

"_Nothing's wrong. Everything is really good. Really good," She stressed as she forced a smile. _

"_Oh okay," Barbara accepted the answer at face value. "So what is going on in Africa then?"_

_Arizona took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Actually there is something pretty big going on here. It has been going on for awhile but I wanted to make sure it was going somewhere before I talked to you guys about it. I need you guys to let me talk. To let me get this out without interruption, okay?"_

_Arizona paused which caused Daniel to interject into the conversation even though his daughter just asked him not to do so. "You haven't gotten yourself into trouble have you?"_

"_No. I'm not in trouble. Again, everything is really good here," Arizona looked up above the computer and saw Alex standing in the doorway with his hands full of babies. He gave her a nod that gave her the strength to continue. "Alex and I are together. I love him," she blurted out quickly without stopping to think about her word choices. She hadn't planned with leading with the 'I love you' speech._

_Again Arizona's slight pause prompted Daniel to speak up thinking that his daughter was done saying whatever it was she had to say. "We know that, Arizona. You two got married months ago."_

_Arizona shook her head from side to side, "No, Dad. What I mean is that Alex and I are really together. We're in a real relationship. Not just pretending. We started dating about two months ago. We're really happy together."_

_Arizona paused again and looked at her parents who sat in their office stunned into silence. "Okay, I'm done. You can speak now." _

"_I'm not sure we understand, dear," Barbara spoke for them both as she glanced at her husband who looked to be in shock._

"_Alex and I are together. He's my boyfriend… well I guess he's my husband but you get the idea."_

"_Together?" Barbara questioned again as it registered in her brain._

"_Yep," Arizona laughed. It felt good to have that weight off of her shoulders. It had been hard keeping it from her parents every week when they talked. "Together."_

_Daniel finally spoke, "Are you sleeping with him?"_

"_Daddy!" Arizona blushed. _

"_What? It's a simple question!"_

"_Yes," Arizona mumbled her answer completely embarrassed by her father's question._

"_You sure about this?" Daniel asked again._

"_I'm sure, Dad," Arizona smiled. "We're happy together."_

_Daniel turned to speak to his wife, "I think I liked it better when she was dating girls."_

"_I'm still here, Dad. I can see and hear you!"_

_Daniel continued to talk to his wife, "Girls can't get my baby girl pregnant. But this boy…he can!"_

"_Again, Dad. Still here. And I'm not sixteen anymore. You really don't need to worry about me getting accidentally knocked up."_

"_Are you saying that because you're already pregnant?" Daniel demanded to know. "Because you already have two kids under the age of one and you're still living in Africa with no family around you, don't you think that's enough for right now?"_

"_Mom, can you tell Dad to take a breath because he's going crazy."_

"_I want to talk to him," Daniel said sternly. _

"_Daddy…"_

"_Arizona, honestly, I don't care who you're sleeping with as long as you're happy. Boy or girl. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to have words with Alex," Daniel explained._

_Arizona cringed when her dad talked about her sex life but was happy to hear that he didn't seem to really care about her change in sexuality but was worried for what he wanted to say to Alex. "Dad, you talk to Alex every week. You know him."_

"_I don't know him as the man that is sleeping with my first born. So go get him. I'll wait." _

_Arizona looked to her mom for help but all her mother could do was shrug her shoulders. Arizona accepted defeat and got off the bed in search of Alex. She didn't have to go far, Alex was just outside the room, listening in on the conversation. All Arizona did was point a finger toward the laptop and Alex walked in complacently. Arizona sat next to him as he faced her father through the webcam and realized that her mother was no longer sitting next to him. Daniel quickly shooed Arizona from the room as well. What he needed to say to Alex, he wanted to be just between them. After a brief five minute discussion, Alex was searching for Arizona as Daniel had finished scaring him and now wanted to spend a few minutes gazing at his grandsons. The four adults spent the rest of the conversation cooing over the latest developments in the twins' lives. Barbara gushed at how big they were getting and mentioned again that they needed to bring them to Boston as soon as possible so that she could spoil them in person. When Eli fell asleep in Arizona's arms it was time to end the call and put the boys down for a nap._

"_That went better than expected," Arizona said as she leaned into Alex's body as they finished their own lunch in the kitchen. "What did my Dad say to you?"_

"_He said if I told you he would hurt me," Alex said without any hint of humor in his voice._

"_Alex, he'll never know."_

"_Oh he will. He's freaky. He knows all. He did say he had a suspicion about us for the last month. So I'm not telling you anything, Zo."_

"_You're no fun," Arizona pouted._

_Alex walked back into the bedroom and stripped off his shirt, "That's not what you were saying last night." _

_Arizona laughed and followed him into the bedroom for their own nap time._

**…**

"Did you ever find out what your Dad said to Alex?" Meredith asked.

"Nope," Arizona shook her head. "Neither one will tell me."

"Tell you what?" Alex asked as he walked up to catch the tail end of the conversation.

Arizona took the chocolate milkshake that Alex had procured for her and took a satisfying sip. After the chocolate goodness filled her mouth she turned to her husband, "What my dad said to you after I told him we were together. And Cristina wants to know how you turned me."

"See!" Cristina slapped Meredith. "She used the same phrase I did, that you got angry with me for!"

"What all did you tell them?" Arizona asked Alex, wondering what details she needed to fill in.

"He just told us about how you had to be married to adopt the twins. And then you started dating and got married for real," Meredith explained. "He didn't tell us how he made the gay girl fall in love with him though."

"He didn't make me fall in love with him," Arizona laughed. "It just happened naturally, I guess. We had to pretend to be in love. We were being watched all the time. So we had to hold hands and hug and kiss anytime we were out in public or at work in case the government officials were watching. At the same time, we were living together and parenting together." Arizona turned to look at Alex who was cradling a dozing Della against his chest, "I don't think it's possible to watch a man hold a baby and not fall in love with him a little bit."

"That's true," Meredith piped up. "Seeing Derek hold our daughter made me love him so much more."

"After a few weeks of pretending I started to realize that I liked Alex. That I was starting to look at him differently – like a love interest and not just a best friend. Then he kissed me and I was even more confused."

"Wait – I thought you had been kissing all along to fake out the officials?" Cristina questioned.

Arizona shook her head zealously and explained, "Just pecks really. This was a _real_ kiss. After that kiss I started questioning my sexuality. I spent hours on Skype with my sister trying to figure out my feelings. She wasn't much help though because she thought Alex was hot and said I should just do him already."

"I knew she liked me!" Alex interjected after hearing what his sister-in-law thought of him.

Arizona rolled her eyes and continued, "So then I moved on to one of my best lesbian friends hoping she'd knock some sense into me but even she told me I needed to explore my feelings. So I listened to them and propositioned Alex for sex."

Cristina, Meredith and Alex both choked on their drinks. Alex's knee-jerk reaction caused Della to cry at the rude awakening. Arizona mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to her husband who was easily calming the still sleepy baby in his arms.

"Warn us before you say shit like that," Cristina coughed and looked toward Alex for explanation.

Alex rolled his eyes as he ran his hand up and down Della's back to soothe her, "And I turned her down."

Arizona agreed, "He did. I was so embarrassed."

"I told her we weren't going to have sex until we dated and she knew it was what she wanted and it wasn't just an experiment to test her sexuality," Alex continued the story.

"So Alex wooed me. He took me out on dates and we fell in love," Arizona smiled at Alex and leaned over to give her husband a quick peck. "The rest is history."

"Gross," Cristina pretended to put her finger down her throat as she watched the love birds make goo-goo eyes at each other.

"Well, I'm happy for you two," Meredith smiled. "Lord knows, Alex needs a sane woman in his life."

Alex scoffed, "She's saner than some of the other chicks in my life but I don't think it's possible for any female to be totally sane."

"Are you calling your daughter insane?" Arizona questioned her husband with a serious tone but a smirk on her face told him she was just teasing him.

"Babies are exempt from the crazy rule," Alex explained as he gazed at his daughter. "But if she spends too much time with your sister as she grows up, I'm sure she'll have a more than a little crazy in her."

"Well, we'll just make sure she has supervised visits," Arizona teased back as she played with her daughter's onesie clad toes.

"It's a good thing you guys aren't still here at Seattle Grace. She would for sure grow up crazy then," Meredith laughed. "Cristina's already been banned from babysitting unless there is another adult with her."

"All I was trying to do was make your kid a genius, but no apparently teaching a two year old to do sutures is apparently not allowed," Cristina muttered.

Alex, Arizona and Meredith all laughed at Cristina's comments.

"I bet you don't have this much fun at Boston Children's," Cristina remarked to the couple next to her.

"I don't get to have any fun," Arizona pouted. "I have to be mean all day and worry about money and schedules. Though I do get to steal all the best surgeries for myself."

"That's what you get for being the boss, baby," Alex said. "I, however, still get to have fun. Torturing interns is my favorite pastime."

"So there's no chance that you guys will just decide to stay here with us?" Meredith asked. She honestly missed Alex's company and while she never really hung out much with Arizona before, she could tell that she was good for Alex.

"Our home is Boston now," Alex explained as he held Arizona's hand on top of the table. "The boys have their friends and are starting pre-school when we get back. They're actually going to miss the first few weeks thanks to this extended stay. Our family is there too. Plus, it's the best children's hospital in the country. The cases we get are insane."

"I know, I know," Meredith conceded. "I was just putting the thought out there. You better come visit sometime though."

"Teddy would kill us if we didn't bring her godchildren out to see her every so often. She keeps guilt-tripping about how she's always the one to visit us so now that everything is out in the open we have to start visiting her more often," Arizona smiled.

"Plus, we're not going anywhere anytime soon. Abe still has another two and a half weeks at least before he can be released," Alex added.

"How is Abe doing?" Meredith questioned. "It's still so weird that you're a dad," she added as she took in the proud father with his daughter in his arms.

"Abe is doing well. He physically pushed me off of his bed today when his grandfather walked in so that Daniel could sit next to him on the bed. I swear I don't even exist when Dan is in the room. I need to remind him that I am the one that kept him alive when he was born."

"Poor baby," Arizona stroked Alex's forearm. "I don't think either of us exists when Grandpa is in the room. There is no competing with him. And I'd also like to think it was a team effort keeping our babies alive when they were born."

"Alex told us all about their birth, that must have been crazy," Meredith remarked.

"They're fighters, that is for sure," Arizona answered. "They weighed as much as Daniella does now at almost four months when we brought them home at almost seven months."

"You wouldn't know that now, looking at them," Alex added. "They're still a little small for their age but they're quickly catching up." Alex looked down at his daughter, "Plus, this one was almost ten pounds at birth so it's not fair to compare them to our chunky girl."

"I know you did not just call my daughter fat," Arizona interjected as she quietly took Della into her arms.

"Not fat – chunky," Alex smirked. "She's in the ninety-fifth percentile for weight and height, dear."

Della could tell that she was being talked about and needed to make her presence known. She slowly woke up with soft whimpers that quickly turned into cries.

"You should know better than to call a girl chunky," Cristina glared at Alex as his baby disrupted the quiet of her lunch hour.

"It's her lunch time too," Arizona commented as she tried to calm the baby by bouncing her. "I'm going to go feed her and put her down for a nap. Then maybe we can steal Eli away from Dad for a bit to take him to the park?"

"Sounds like a plan," Alex gently tugged on Arizona's shirt to bring her closer so that he could give her a kiss goodbye. Alex noticed Cristina rolling her eyes across the table at their display of affection and made sure to make the kiss linger longer than necessary. "I'll be up soon," Alex then left a soft kiss on Della's forehead before his family left the cafeteria.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to you being with her," Cristina commented as she watched Alex watch Arizona leave the cafeteria. "I mean once I get past the obvious she's no longer gay thing. You're still total opposites. You do the dark, brooding, tortured thing really well and she's… well you know, she's happy and perky."

"You know what they say about opposites, Cristina," Meredith helped Alex. She was truly happy for her friend.

Alex shrugged, "Whatever. It works. You're just jealous."

Cristina growled, "I'm happily married to my work, I'll have you know."

"Plus she's sleeping with her intern," Meredith quickly added.

Alex's face broke out into a wide smile, "You're sleeping with your intern! Seriously? That's awesome. It's come full circle. You sleeping with your attending when you were an intern and now that you're an attending you're sleeping with the interns."

"Shut it!" Cristina glared. She didn't want it to get out that she was having a fling with the help. That would not be good for her reputation.

Alex chuckled and stood up and shook his head, "Sleeping with an intern. Nice." He didn't want to move on from that thought. "I'll see you guys around," he threw over his shoulder as he went in search of his family.

**…**

Arizona walked into her son's hospital room and was quickly brought back to a familiar scene that she had witnessed just a few weeks prior. The room was empty except for her husband. The normally loud room full of two high energy toddlers and a tiny baby was quiet. Alex was leaning under the couch in the room trying to reach a rogue toy to pack it away in the bag that was resting on the bed.

"We're really going home this time, aren't we?" Arizona's voice startled the man who had his head under the couch. Her voice caused him to hit his head on the bottom of the couch.

Alex stood slowly with his hand on the back of his head. "Ugh," he moaned.

"I'm sorry, babe. I didn't mean to scare you," Arizona crossed the room to be next to Alex. She slowly moved his hand away from the back of his head so that she could place a kiss on it.

"Did you just kiss my ouchie?" Alex laughed at his wife who was treating him like she would their kids.

Arizona shrugged and smiled, "It's a mom thing."

"Hmm," Alex contemplated, obviously no longer in any pain. "I have a couple of other ouchies you could kiss too."

Arizona's eyes twinkled knowing full well that the kids had just left with their grandparents to go to the cafeteria and wouldn't be back for at least thirty minutes, "Oh really? Maybe you should see a doctor if you're hurt."

Alex moved to sit on the edge of the hospital bed with his feet dangling off the side, "Maybe you should give me an examination, Dr. Robbins."

"I don't have privileges at this hospital anymore, Mr. Karev," Arizona stepped in-between Alex's legs.

Alex leaned in and grabbed behind Arizona's thighs to pull her down onto him. "You always have privileges with me."

Alex's mouth latched onto Arizona's smooth neck as his hands moved up the back of her shirt. His fingers fumbled with the hook on her bra. He was normally so good about getting his wife out of her bra but he was distracted by the movement of her hips on his body. After a moment of fumbling Alex was finally able to release the bra and bring his hand to the front and caress her breasts under the now loose bra.

"You feel so good," Alex murmured against his wife's neck as his thumbs grazed over her nipples.

"Mmm…God, Alex," she moaned as her head fell back in pleasure. Arizona was in bliss from the attention from her husband. She barely recognized that he even spoke to her, instead focusing on the feel of his hands and his lips on her as she continued to rock her hips into his.

Their lips found each others as they made out on the hospital bed. After a few minutes of heavy petting they both needed more contact with each other. They didn't even think about the fact that they were in an unlocked hospital room on the pediatric floor. Alex scooted up onto the bed as Arizona pushed him back. Alex wanted to take control and easily flipped their positions. He couldn't help but stare as he hovered over his wife.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered as he brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes.

Arizona smiled as she reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head. "You're not so bad yourself. Now stop talking and kiss me."

"Yes, ma'am," he murmured against her lips as his hands made their way back under her shirt and to her breasts. He pushed the shirt up so that it rested above her boobs. He debated ridding her of it so that he could have unrestricted access to her glorious chest but that would require him to stop kissing her and he was enjoying the feeling of his tongue playing with hers too much to lose that connection.

While Alex was so focused on her chest, Arizona took the opportunity to loosen her belt and unbutton her jeans. After ensuring that Alex would have easy access to her, she then turned her attention to his belt and jeans. It wasn't until she was tugging on his zipper that Alex even realized what Arizona had been doing. He glanced down between their bodies and caught a glimpse of Arizona's lacy pink underwear that was peeking out through her opened jeans. It was a magnet for his hand and he quickly slipped his fingers into them.

"Mmm," Alex moaned into her mouth as he enjoyed feeling his lover. "Oh God," he yelped as he was surprised to feel Arizona's hand stroking him.

"Oh God!" a voice screamed from near the door as they opened it.

It took Alex and Arizona a moment to realize that the "Oh God" did not come from one of their mouths and Alex immediately sprang off of Arizona who was quickly pulling her shirt down to cover herself. They turned to look at the person giggling by the door.

"Seriously? We leave you alone for a half hour and you two can't keep it in your pants? What if I were Mom and Dad with _your_ kids?" Emily lectured from inside the now closed door.

"Jesus, Emily! Don't you know how to knock?" Arizona growled as she leaned up on her elbows on the hospital bed. Her pants were still undone but she didn't care – her sister had caught her in far more compromising positions than this one.

"Um, hospital?" Emily said sarcastically as she picked up Alex's shirt off the ground and threw it to the still beet red man on the bed. "I didn't know I needed to knock here. But I guess I should have learned my lesson after the countless times I've walked in on this same scene in your office. Don't you guys have a bed at home for this type of thing?"

"Just wait until you have kids. You have to take advantage of alone time when you can." Alex had gotten over his embarrassment at being caught yet again by his sister-in law and decided to remind her of the times he had caught her in the act. "Plus, remember that time I saw way more than I ever wanted to because you and Brad didn't lock the on-call room door?"

Emily scoffed and gestured to her chest, "Please, you know you had been imagining what these look like for years."

Alex immediately turned to Arizona who was now glaring at them both. "You know that's not true. I swear I didn't see anything…"

Arizona quickly laid her hand on his to stop his impending ramble. After four years of living with her, Alex had picked up many of her habits including rambling. "It's okay. I know." Arizona took a moment to gesture to her own chest, "Plus when you can have these why would you look anywhere else." After glaring at her sister Arizona realized they had gotten off track. "Why are you here interrupting us, Emily?"

"I'm just here to remind your husband that he owes me a night of drinking and debauchery. And I'm claiming that – tonight. And before you say no, Mom and Dad have already agreed to watch all three babies in the hotel tonight. Dad already has plans for a special boys' night to celebrate Abe's freedom from the hospital."

"But – " Arizona started to argue.

"No buts! We're not flying out until Monday so you can't use the 'don't want to be hungover on a flight' excuse. You, me and your pretty boy husband will be at Joe's tonight. So I suggest you get back to packing up this room because you best have both of your asses at Joe's by eight o'clock." After staring at her sister to make sure her point had gotten across, Emily turned around to leave the couple to get back to whatever it was they were going to do. She quickly turned around once more to catch Arizona's eye, "Oh and your zipper is still down, Zona."

"So I guess we're going to Joe's later," Arizona muttered under her breath as she watched Alex crawl back under the couch to fish out the toy he had been trying to get when she first walked into the room.

"It could be fun," Alex mused as he raised the toy truck in victory. "You know how you get when you're tipsy."

Arizona started to pick up rogue toys and stuffed animals from around the room, "You do realize that all of our friends are going to be there."

"Of course. I did promise to pay for Cristina's drinks too so I'm sure she will make sure everyone is there."

Arizona glared at Alex, "Are you trying to bankrupt us? You know how much both Emily and Cristina can drink. We do have three kids to send to college not to mention medical bills!"

Alex chucked the stuffed elephant he had in his hands at Arizona's face, "It's a good thing that you make so much money then, boss!"

The toy bonked right off the side of Arizona's head. She quickly snatched it up off of the ground and threw it back at him. "You're going to pay for that Karev."

Alex ducked to miss the flying elephant and smirked, "I hope so." He picked up the elephant and moved to put it in the bag next to where Arizona was standing. As he reached around her to put the stuffed animal into the open duffel bag he quickly darted his hands to Arizona's waist and tickled.

As he expected, Arizona retaliated and the two fell against the bed laughing as they fought for dominance in the tickle war. They were so caught up in each other that for the second time again they were rudely interrupted by family.

"Mama!" Abe announced their presence and the return of their family.

Arizona peeked over Alex's shoulder to see her parents watching them with smiles on their faces and the kids in their arms. "Boys come quickly! Come help me tickle Daddy!"

"No, tickle Mama!" Alex retorted wanting to get the boys on his side of the war.

The twins wasted no time in climbing onto the bed to play with their parents. The boys didn't take sides in the tickle war, instead choosing to attack both of their parents. Alex and Arizona quickly turned the tables on the boys and turned their attack to them, though being careful to be gentle with Abe. They played for several minutes until everyone was out of breath. Then, everyone had to get back to the task on hand. Cleaning and packing the hospital room so that Abe could be officially discharged that afternoon. They would have three days to relax in the comfort of a hotel and enjoy some sightseeing in Seattle before returning home to Boston and back to work, pre-school, playgroups and daycare. But before they could do any of that, they first had to survive a night out drinking with their friends.

**…**


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

Enjoying the warmth of the September sun, Arizona set out the perfect outfit for a night out at Joe's. It was the first real night out with her husband since they welcomed their daughter into their world. She wanted to remind her husband just why he fell in love with her in the first place. For the last year she had been pregnant and too self-conscious of her body to allow herself to show it off the way Alex would really enjoy. She was lucky that the baby weight came off quickly for her. She attributed that to breastfeeding, chasing around two toddlers, lots of worrying and an African diet. So now she was ready to show off that she was back to feeling her best. The only problem was that she didn't pack for such an occasion when they initially left Boston three months ago for a one month trip to Africa, but luckily her sister did and since they were roughly the same size – Emily's wardrobe would do for the night. Arizona picked out the perfect strapless dress to show off her favorite body parts. It was covered in blue and green swirls and was casual but made her look hot. It was scandalously short and paired with the perfect pair of heels would only emphasize her slender and toned legs.

For his part, Alex did put a little thought into his wardrobe for the night as well. He picked out his favorite, well worn and faded Nirvana t-shirt. He'd had the shirt since he snuck into their concert when he was a teenager. He figured since they were in Seattle he should represent appropriately. Coupled with his favorite jeans he knew that he'd be getting lucky that night. Arizona couldn't resist him in his lucky jeans.

Alex had gotten ready first and was lounging on the bed in the hotel room chugging a bottle of water and watching a baseball game while he waited for Arizona to finish doing whatever it was she did to get ready. Alex learned a long time ago not to question why exactly it took women so long to get ready to go out. Instead, he sipped on his water in an attempt to pre-empt the hangover he knew he would be facing the next day.

Arizona stepped out of the bathroom, hopping on one foot as she attempted to get her foot into her stiletto. Alex looked at the painfully tall shoe and knew that Arizona would last three hours tops in those shoes and already knew that he would be carrying her home so that her bare feet wouldn't have to touch the dirty streets of Seattle. As his gaze moved from those sexy shoes and up her legs his mouth dropped open. It had been a long time since Arizona had put that much effort into looking good what with the pregnancy and living in Africa and all. She always looked hot to him but when she put an effort into looking hot she was off the charts.

"I'm ready to go," Arizona said as she slipped on her other shoe. "And it is eight o'clock now so we better get moving before Em is calling and harassing us about being late. Luckily it's only a five minute walk."

Alex didn't acknowledge his wife's remarks. He was too busy staring at her cleavage that the dress only emphasized. It took Arizona waving her hand in front of his eyes to get his attention.

"Can't…can't we just stay here?" Alex stumbled over his words as he continued to drink in his wife's appearance.

Arizona reached down to tug him up off of the bed. "Come on, babe. I did not make myself look this good to not show it off."

Alex grumbled but followed Arizona out of the hotel and down the street to Joe's. At least he'd get to spend the night appreciating Arizona's body and knowing that he was the only one that got to take her home that night.

**…**

When Alex held open the door to Joe's for Arizona it was like coming home for him. He spent more time at Joe's during his intern year than anywhere else. He should have spent that time in the skills lab or with his head in the research library but instead he spent it with Joe. He'd go in after work to have a drink and unwind and would end up watching the game with Joe and the other regulars. Occasionally he'd find a girl to take home but that wasn't his reason for going. He went to Joe's all the time because it was comfortable for him. It reminded him of home; of all the time he spent in bars growing up. In the crazy world of being an intern he needed a place that could calm him and that place was The Emerald City Bar.

The bar was just as he remembered it. Nothing had changed for Alex. He smiled as he looked behind the counter and Joe was still there slinging shots and pouring beer. Alex spotted the crew from the hospital taking up several tables at the back of the bar by the dart boards. It seemed like the whole hospital had shown up – probably at the promise of free drinks. There were also some people he didn't recognize there. He figured they were probably the significant others of the group. He nodded toward Emily when she noticed that they had arrived but instead of heading over to the group, he needed to say hello to an old friend first.

Joe was busy filling up a tray of drinks when he and Arizona saddled up to the bar. Alex figured the tray was probably for his group of friends. Only they would continue to order the Cristina-created Early Onset Alzheimers shot.

"Two of the usual," Alex shouted over the bar's music toward the barkeep.

Joe's head popped up at the familiar voice that he hadn't heard in so long. He shook his head in recognition and held out his hand for his old pal. "It's about time you showed up. I heard you've been back for awhile now."

"Sorry, man," Alex said sincerely while he looked sheepishly at his wife.

"I understand. It's good to see you too, Dr. Robbins. We've missed your happy personality around these parts. That group is too morose for their own good," Joe said while nodding his head toward their group of friends. "I heard about everything you've been going through. I'm really glad everything turned out okay."

Arizona reached down to squeeze Alex's hand. "Thanks Joe. We are too."

"So two of the usual?"

"Better make that four. Looks like we've got some catching up to do," Alex said as he looked at the tray full of shots that was going back to their friends.

Joe pulled four bottles of Manny's Pale Ale, Alex's favorite local brew and quickly snapped off the bottle caps before pushing them toward Alex and Arizona. "I'll add them to your tab. I've been told you're paying the bill tonight."

Arizona rolled her eyes and grabbed the four beers, "Apparently."

"Thanks, Joe." Alex said as he grabbed the tray that Joe had pushed toward him.

The pair fought through the crowd as they tried not to spill any of the drinks. Alex received a round of applause for delivering the drinks. They were quickly introduced to the people that they didn't know at the table which included Callie's girlfriend, Lexie's fiancé and April's boyfriend. The two quickly fit into the group and everyone was laughing and chatting like old times.

**…**

After they'd finished their two beers each, Cristina refused to allow them to continue to drink such a girly drink and instead started pushing shots onto the pair. Arizona was smart enough to dump every other shot into her beer chaser so that she wouldn't get too wasted too quickly. It had been a very long time since she drank and she didn't want to get out of control.

Since they were a part of such a large group in the bar it was only natural that it broke into smaller groups as everyone set about to gossip and reminisce about old times. Soon it was just Callie, her girlfriend Charlie, Mark, Teddy, Emily, Cristina and Meredith left with Alex and Arizona. Arizona watched as Alex played a game of darts with Mark. She never would have put Mark and Alex as friends four years ago. Not with their mutual history with Lexie. But here they were over four years later, smiling and joking with each other as they threw darts at a wall.

Arizona found herself liking Callie's girlfriend. She seemed to genuinely care for her which helped. Arizona watched as the two became more touchy feely as the drinks kept flowing. She was happy for Callie. She never would have guessed that in the end, she would be the one married to a man while Callie would be in a relationship with a woman.

Arizona also noticed how Mark and Teddy continued to try to hide their relationship. She knew they had been planning on telling everyone a month ago but never got around to it with all of the Abe drama. Though Arizona was sure that everyone knew they were together. It was hard not to notice all the friendly touching the pair managed to sneak in.

Arizona was off in her own little world when Alex returned to his seat next to her and pushed another shot under her nose. "Are you trying to get me drunk?" she asked.

"Yep," he smiled not even bothering to lie about it.

Arizona giggled. She was already well on her way to being drunk even with her attempts to not be. "You do remember what happened the last time you got me drunk, right?" In her drunken haze the words she meant to say only for her husband's ears came out much louder than she intended.

Cristina's ears perked up when she heard that question come from Arizona's mouth. She knew there had to be a good story there. "Oh really? What happened?"

Arizona tipped back the shot without grimacing and smiled. "That was the night we got Daniella."

Alex rolled his eyes at his wife's admittance of such things. Her loose lips. She was definitely drunk.

"TMI!" Cristina shouted as she covered her ears. She hadn't expected to hear a declaration about the night a child was conceived. As much as Cristina loved her gossip that was too much for her ears.

Alex laughed and pulled her hands down from her ears. "Arizona's not exactly telling the truth, Yang."

"Well it was the night we _decided _to have Daniella," Arizona clarified.

"How come I've never heard this story?" Teddy asked of her best friend. She thought she knew everything about her goddaughter but she hadn't heard about this.

"Well it all started with my birthday. The last time I got drunk was on my thirty-fifth birthday," Arizona started to explain before Alex cut her off.

"I threw her a party," Alex added before he was cut off.

"You threw her a party?" Mark practically yelled as the rest of the table cringed. They remembered the one party they had for Arizona back in Seattle. "Obviously you didn't remember the epic fail of a surprise party that Callie threw her."

"This wasn't a surprise. He gave me fair warning to warm up to the idea," Arizona added.

"Right so as I was saying, we had this big party for her birthday…" Alex began to tell the story.

**...**

"_Someone's birthday is coming up," Alex said as he flopped down into the chair opposite of Arizona's desk in her clinic office._

_Arizona looked up from her paperwork with a scowl, "I don't know what you're talking about."_

_Alex put his feet up on her desk, "Your birthday is Sunday. We need to celebrate."_

_Arizona quickly stood up and shoved his feet back onto the floor. "There is nothing to celebrate about turning thirty-five. I'm now closer to forty than I am to thirty and I do not need to be reminded of that."_

_Alex walked around to Arizona's side of the desk and quickly sat in her chair before she could sit back down. "I think that is even more reason to celebrate. We can get drunk and you can forget about it."_

"_No. I just want to spend the day with my family. No party," Arizona grumbled as Alex pulled her on top of him._

"_Well, it's kinda already planned. So this is just your warning. And you will get to spend your birthday with just me and the boys because the party is on Saturday and your birthday is Sunday. Tamanda is going to take the boys for the night so we won't have to worry about them and bring them back in time to spend your birthday with you," Alex said as he kept a firm grip on Arizona's waist. He knew she wouldn't be happy with him planning a party and wanted to keep her still so she didn't stand up and then proceed to hit him in the balls in retaliation._

"_Alex," Arizona whined as she pouted at Alex with her best puppy dog eyes. Alex retaliated with his own puppy dog eyes and a stare down ensued. After a minute, Arizona crumbled. She could tell that Alex was not going to give up on throwing her a party. "Fine. But there better be lots of alcohol. And I expect a really, really good birthday present."_

_Alex couldn't help himself from kissing her when she finally caved. Now that the purpose of his office visit was settled he let Arizona have her chair back so that she could o do whatever work she was doing while he got back downstairs to his patients. "Awesome," he whispered as he left the office._

"_You're spending too much time around me, Karev," Arizona yelled after him and earned a smile in return._

**…**

_Even Arizona had to admit that she was having fun at her party. All of their coworkers and friends from the clinic joined them in celebrating her birthday. Alex was able to bribe one of the doctors they frequently worked with in Lilongwe to help him get more than enough alcohol for everyone to enjoy. He made sure that Arizona always had a drink in her hand. He wasn't trying to get her drunk but he knew that she hated being reminded of getting older and keeping her liquored up would help; plus Arizona always got very touchy-feely when she was drinking which Alex saw as an added bonus._

_As much as she enjoyed having all of their friends celebrating with her as it neared midnight, Arizona wanted everyone gone. She was feeling very warm and fuzzy inside and wanted to thank her husband for going through the hassle of planning a party for her birthday. Alex noticed all of the sizzling looks he kept getting from his wife across the room and started to politely kick people out. After ushering the last guests from their house Alex greeted his wife on the couch with one more beer._

"_You don't have to keep liquoring me up, Karev. I'm already drunk," Arizona giggled as Alex jumped over the couch and landed safely next to her._

_He wrapped his arm around her waist and let her nuzzle her head into the crook of his neck. The two sat in silence for awhile, content to just enjoy being next to each other as they finished their final beers of the evening._

"_Turning thirty-five sucks," Arizona slurred as she attempted to sit up straight so that she could put her empty beer bottle on the coffee table. _

_Alex stayed relaxed in the couch as he watched Arizona flounder in her drunkenness. It was too adorable to stop. "I wouldn't know. Got another few years before I find out."_

"_Shut up," Arizona slurred as she turned to face him and pushed him in the chest. He was already leaning back against the cushions so pushing him wasn't going to bother him. "It's different for guys anyway. Turning older isn't a bad thing. Look at the Playboy guy, Henry? Hank? Herb?" Arizona fumbled for the name. It was on the tip of her tongue._

"_Hugh Hefner," Alex supplied still enjoying his wife drunkeness._

"_Yeah, him!" Arizona huffed. "He's like ninety and still gets girls in their twenties!" _

"_Are you trying to tell me something?" Alex pulled Arizona back against him and cuddled into the couch with her. "Are you wanting to leave me for a twenty-year old?"_

"_Noooo," Arizona said dramatically as she resumed her position against his side with her face tucked into his neck. "Just that there is a double standard with aging."_

"_I'm sorry, baby," Alex offered in hopes of getting Arizona to stop obsessing about age. When he didn't get a response after a few minutes he assumed that Arizona had passed out. He expected it with the amount she drank that night. Even with the seductive look she had in her eyes earlier, he knew that she wouldn't make it to bed. She had to have had over twelve drinks total over the course of the night. That was a lot for Arizona in general let alone Arizona with a low tolerance due to living in Africa where alcohol was a luxury._

_Alex was content to lay against the couch with his wife in his arms for awhile longer. He knew that they would regret it in the morning but he didn't feel like moving to the bedroom. At the moment, the couch was just too comfortable to leave._

"_You know what else sucks about turning thirty-five?" Arizona whispered into Alex's neck._

_Alex's head jerked forward when he felt her warm breath on his skin. He was almost asleep but it seemed like Arizona wasn't as passed out as he thought she was. He decided to appease her continued ranting about her age, "What's that, baby?"_

"_It's considered advanced maternal age," Arizona mumbled._

_Alex didn't know where she was going with that thought so he stayed quiet._

"_When a woman turns thirty-five it is considered advanced maternal age. The infertility rate jumps, chances for birth defects grows significantly and a high-risk pregnancy is practically unavoidable," Arizona explained quite coherently for a person who could barely sit up on her own a little over a half hour prior._

"_Um… okay," Alex said. He had no clue where this was coming from. They'd never talked about kids besides the two that they already had. Alex knew that he would love to have more kids with Arizona whether they were their own biological children or if they adopted again. With all the medical issues they'd been dealing with with the twins, it never seemed like the right time to bring up having more children. _

_Again, Arizona got quiet and didn't say anything for over ten minutes. And Alex again assumed that Arizona had passed out. He could no longer sleep because his mind kept thinking about a baby; a baby that looked like the perfect mixture of his and Arizona's genes._

_Arizona broke him out of his daydreams, "I want to have a baby."_

_Alex gently pulled Arizona out of his neck so that they could have this conversation face to face. He knew that there was truth in what Arizona was saying. People were nothing if not honest when they were drunk but after looking at her hazy eyes he decided he didn't want to have this serious of a conversation while they were both under the influence of alcohol. "Let's go to bed and talk about this tomorrow, Zo."_

_Arizona didn't put up a fight and let Alex put her to bed. They were both asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Alex woke up the next morning to the sounds of Arizona throwing up in the bathroom. His own head was killing him but he had been spared the desire for his body to evict all of the alcohol. He quietly headed into the kitchen to take some pain killers before he returned to the bathroom to take care of his wife. He pushed open the bathroom door and saw Arizona looking pale and exhausted as she rested her head against the toilet. _

"_Make the room stop spinning and tell my stomach I have nothing left to throw up," Arizona murmured into the toilet bowl. She must have heard Alex come in the room._

_Alex sat down on the floor behind Arizona and pulled her back into him. He grabbed a wet washcloth to help cool her body down. As he comforted her his thoughts flashed back to what Arizona brought up the night before – a baby. He thought about how the current scene in the bathroom with a hungover Arizona could easily be substituted with a pregnant Arizona dealing with morning sickness. "You okay?" he whispered quietly, not wanting to hurt her head with noise anymore than it probably already was._

"_Nuh-uh," Arizona whined. "I feel like shit. I'm too old for this."_

"_Happy Birthday," Alex kissed her neck as it was officially her birthday. "And for your birthday I'm going to make you the best hangover remedy I know. Easy Mac, coffee and Tylenol. You think your stomach can handle it?"_

"_It can't make me feel any worse than I currently do," Arizona moaned. She really was pitiful when she didn't feel good._

_Alex gently lifted her up off the floor of the bathroom and deposited her back in bed so that she could at least be comfortable as she waited for him to cook for her._

_Less than a half hour later Arizona was looking much more like herself. Her color had come back to her and she was able to open her eyes without feeling like the sun was trying to kill her._

"_That really worked," Arizona commented on Alex's hangover strategy._

_Alex kissed her temple. "It's what got me through college and med school. Never failed to cure a hangover yet. You feel better?"_

"_My head still hurts a little but not that bad. Thank you," Arizona curled into her husband's warmth. "What time are the boys coming home?"_

"_Not until after lunch, so we have some time," Alex said as he played with Arizona's hair. _

_Arizona smiled and squeezed her arm that was around his waist, "Good. I love just laying here with you."_

_Alex dropped a kiss on top of her head, "Me too."_

_The soothing motion of Alex running his hand through her hair made Arizona sleepy. Alex wanted to bring up the subject that Arizona sprung on him last night but he wasn't even sure if she even remembered it. He decided to give it the day to see if Arizona would bring it up first. If she didn't he would bring it up before bed. He didn't have to wait long. As they were enjoying their morning cuddles when Arizona refused to get out of bed, she brought it up. _

"_I meant what I said last night. I want to have a baby," Arizona said out of nowhere causing Alex's hand to immediately stop running through her hair._

"_You do?" Alex squeaked out unable to find his voice._

_Arizona heard the uncertainty in his voice. She was starting to regret bringing the topic up but she could have sworn she saw Alex's eyes light up the night before when she told him what she wanted. It was too late to take it back so she figured she might as well own it. "I do. I love our babies and they will always be our babies – but they're not babies anymore. They're talking and walking now. They're turning into little men. I know we've never talked about it. About having more babies but I guess turning thirty-five today is making me realize that I don't have all the time in the world to have a baby because it does get harder to get pregnant and the risks are higher. So, I want to have a baby and I really hope you do too."_

_Arizona took his breath away. She was so good at speeches. She was definitely going to be putting her oratory skills to use with the kids as she got older. Alex couldn't take his eyes off of her as she explained that she wanted a baby. He thought he had everything he'd ever wanted. While his family wasn't perfect, it was better than he ever dreamed it would be. And now his beautiful wife wanted to add to that perfection and that only made him love her more. Alex was so lost for words that Arizona started to assume the worst when he didn't respond to her._

"_Okay, I guess that's my answer. That's okay. I mean we do have our hands full with Abe and Eli and all of their health problems. It wouldn't be fair to them. They do need all of our time and attent-."_

_Alex silenced Arizona's ramble with the best kiss her could muster. He mashed his lips against hers to quiet her and then he gently eased up as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. When he ran out of oxygen he pulled away to gaze into his favorite pair of blue eyes. "I hope our baby has your eyes," he whispered as he leaned back in for another kiss._

_Arizona was stunned by his words. After all, she assumed he didn't want any more kids based on his initial reaction. She quickly pushed Alex away, needing to clarify what he had just said. "What? Our baby? I thought?"_

_Alex pushed his finger onto her mouth to quiet her. "You've been the boss for too long. You don't give people a chance to speak, Robbins. So I'm going to remove my finger now and you're going to stay quiet and let me talk, okay?"_

_Arizona nodded and Alex took his finger back._

"_\Every time I watch you with the boys, I love you more than I did before. You are so amazing with them. The way their faces light up when they see you – it's incredible. I love to sit and watch you with them. To watch them look at you with such love and to watch you look at them back with the same love. And I don't think I'm doing too bad of a job. I mean, I didn't have a great role model in that department but I'm doing my best. And you are such a great mother that makes up for any of my deficiencies and I would love to have more babies with you."_

_Arizona couldn't keep the huge smile off of her face. She was unsure if she was allowed to speak yet but Alex had stopped talking and didn't appear to be saying anything more anytime soon so she decided to risk it. "Alex?" she asked. She received a smile in return prompting her to continue. "You are an amazing father. Our sons have the best role model in you. They love you so much. But, I said baby. You said babies. How many are we talking here?"_

"_A soccer team?" Alex said as seriously as he could as he watched Arizona's eyes widen. He couldn't keep the smile from his face for long, "How about we try one more and then go from there?"_

_Arizona nodded, "Sounds like a plan. How about we try right now? I know it will be pointless as I haven't even stopped birth control yet – which I will, today. Those are so going in the trash. But they say practice makes perfect, right?"_

"_Right," Alex agreed as he pulled at Arizona's tank top and lifted it over her head. "And we still have two more hours before the boys will be home so we can get a lot of practice in."_

"_Best birthday ever," Arizona grinned as she ran her hands over Alex's bare chest and pulled him down on top of her._

**…**

"So, that is how Arizona's birthday and her freaking out about 'advanced maternal age' while being drunk led to our beautiful daughter," Alex finished his story as he opted to leave out the salacious details about all of the baby making practice they did.

"That's not nearly a good enough story to tell her when she is older. Unlike Callie and Mark who can truly claim the 'you are here because mommy and daddy had too much to drink one night,'" Cristina snorted.

The whole table choked on their drinks at Cristina's comment. After an awkward moment of silence the table erupted in laughter over the inappropriate but truthful comment.

"And Cristina has had enough to drink," Mark slid Cristina's drink from underneath her nose.

Cristina attempted to steal her drink back but saw that it was a losing battle, "Just speaking the truth, McSteamy. Speaking of truth, when are you two," Cristina pointed at Teddy and Mark drunkenly, "going to come out with your relationship already?"

"Uh? What?" Teddy pretended not to understand. She didn't want to get involved in the drunken antics of Cristina Yang.

"Oh come off of it," Cristina glared, "You and Sloan. You've been sleeping together since before the babysitters came back from Africa."

"What?" Callie looked to Mark shocked who could only shrug his shoulders.

"Oh Cal, don't look so upset. You've got a girlfriend now. You're the one that stopped letting Sloan visit the Torres buffet after Sofia's last birthday. You knew he wasn't going to be celibate for long," Cristina continued to reveal the secrets of the table as she just put Mark and Callie's secret sexual escapades out there for the whole table to know.

Mark stepped in to try to shut Cristina up again, "How about I call you a cab?"

"I'm fine here, Sloan. These aren't secrets. Just because no one talks about them doesn't mean that they're secrets. The only secret people could keep around here was the fact that Alex and Arizona are married." Cristina turned her attention away from Mark and onto Arizona and Alex who were as shocked by Cristina's truth outbursts as the rest of the table. "Any other secrets we need to know about you two? Something that could make you two any less perfect than you already are? No cheating on each other? No secret love children out there?"

Alex rolled his eyes but knew if he didn't say something then Cristina would keep poking them. "Cristina, we're hardly perfect."

"Hmmm…" Cristina pondered as she gazed over the pair. "I guess you two do deserve to be the happily ever after couple after all the shit you two went through here. But next time you come back, can you have something scandalous for me?"

Arizona laughed, "We'll try for you."

Cristina looked around the table and realized she had no more secrets to share. Meredith was just as boring as Arizona and Alex these days. She didn't know Emily well enough to know her secrets but she was sure she had some. Callie had turned her attention to her girlfriend, probably trying to calm her down after hearing that Callie had still been sleeping with her baby daddy right before they had started dating. Teddy and Mark looked relaxed for the first time in months now that they were able to be openly affectionate with each other in public. Cristina decided that now that she was out of secrets it was time to go home.

"I'm going to go catch a cab," Cristina hiccupped as she tried to steady herself on her feet.

"We'll walk you out," Alex offered as he looked at Arizona. "We need to get home too. It's getting late. I guess this is goodbye," Alex offered the table.

"No, it's not," Teddy interjected. "Sunday. One o'clock. We're having a hospital family picnic and you two and my godchildren better be there. And the rest of the family too."

Arizona nodded and agreed while Alex went to close out the tab with Joe. With Cristina hanging between them, they made their way back out into the Seattle night. After making sure Cristina was safely in a cab, they made their way back to their hotel. Arizona made it one block before she whined about her feet and Alex offered a piggyback ride back to the hotel.

**…**


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

**…**

Arizona flopped on the bed as soon as Alex opened the door for her. "I have a feeling I'm going to feel as bad as I did after my birthday tomorrow," Arizona mumbled into the fluffy pillow.

"Good thing I went by the store earlier and picked up some Easy Mac for us," Alex smiled as he pulled Arizona's shoes off of her so that she would at least be comfortable when she finally passed out. He fell into bed beside her and couldn't stop himself from planting a sloppy kiss on her lips.

"So are you going to proposition me for another baby tomorrow?" Alex joked as he pulled back from her lips.

"Mmm," Arizona moaned at the loss of contact. "If Della weren't only four months old, maybe. Ask again when she's walking."

Alex was surprised by her answer. He fully expected Della to be the baby of their family. Some women loved being pregnant but his wife was not one of them. "As soon as she takes her first steps, I'm going to start bugging you."

Arizona noticed that Alex's joking attitude had turned serious. She rolled over onto her side so that she could get a better look at him. "You really want another baby?" she asked as she ran her hand through his hair.

"Not tomorrow," Alex said as he ran his hand along her hip and up and under her barely there dress. "But your babies are addictive."

"_Your_ babies are very addictive. Four babies would be pretty crazy," Arizona mused aloud as her fingers trailed under Alex's shirt and up his chest.

"I can handle crazy," Alex smirked and placed a kiss on her lips. "I do crazy _really_ well."

"Pregnancy sucks," Arizona added. "I am not a good pregnant woman."

"You were an amazing and ridiculously beautiful pregnant woman," Alex defended as he cuddled into her chest for a change. "Seriously, you carrying my baby – I don't have words for how it felt to look at you every day knowing that you had our baby in you. I was in awe for nine months."

**…**

_Alex was exhausted. He had been at work for twelve hours and he still had several hours to go before he could go home. He had been paged into the clinic in the middle of the night so he hadn't even gotten to see any of the people that would always make his day better. He missed having breakfast with his sons. He hadn't even gotten to see his wife that day, which was odd since she was his boss. She would often make a point to pop into his morning surgery if he had gotten paged in overnight. It wasn't because she was checking on him, it was just so they could say hello for the day. But Arizona hadn't sought him out all day. _

_Finally at five, Alex was off the clock and more than ready to go home. After changing out of his scrubs, he headed back upstairs in hopes of catching up with his wife. Much to his surprise, she was gone for the day. He didn't understand her odd behavior but she had been acting very odd over the past few months so he shrugged it off. _

_Ever since Arizona's birthday, they were officially trying to get pregnant and trying to get pregnant wasn't all fun and games. As month after month went by Arizona started to get frustrated by the process. They were on their fifth month and still not pregnant. After three months, Arizona ran fertility tests on herself and while the results were within normal ranges there was room for improvement so she started taking mild fertility drugs to help increase their chances for conception. The side effects of the increased hormones from the drugs turned Alex's normally happy and perky wife into a crazy woman. Her mood could go from happy to bitchy in a flash. _

_Alex took his time on his walk home assuming that Arizona had been avoiding him all day because he had done something to set her hormones off. He was surprised when he walked into his house and saw Arizona dancing in the living room with Eli in her arms as Tamanda danced with Abe in hers. He was even more surprised when Arizona squealed when she saw him and threw herself into his arms. She quickly told him to change clothes – they were going out to eat. _

_After a quiet dinner at their favorite restaurant they decided to take a leisurely stroll home. As they walked back to the house, Arizona pulled out a piece of paper from her bag and gave it to him nonchalantly. "Oh! I almost forgot. These labs came in for you while I was over at the hospital for my meetings. They sent them with me thinking that they'd get to you sooner."_

_Alex grabbed the paper, folded it and put it in his back pocket, "You could have put this in my box at work, you know? I'm totally going to forget this when I go in tomorrow morning."_

"_Don't you want to look at it? It might be important."_

_Alex shrugged and wrapped his arm around Arizona's shoulders. "I don't have any dying kids on my plate right now so it can't be that important. Right now I just want to spend a relaxing night with my wife, who I haven't seen all day."_

_Arizona shrugged Alex's arm off of her and glared at him. "Shouldn't you at least check? Maybe you don't have a dying patient now but what if those labs indicate that something is critically wrong with one of them?"_

"_Jeez Robbins," Alex sighed as he pulled out the paper and started to unfold it. "All work and no play with you."_

_Arizona watched Alex's eyes as he unfolded the paper. She watched as his eyes glazed over the familiar look of a laboratory report. She watched his eyes go to the top of the page as he looked at the name on the results. His eyes flicked to Arizona's when he saw that they were her lab results. He then scanned down and read through the values again. It looked like a standard blood workup. Everything looked normal until he reached the hCG value. It was elevated. Anything above zero indicated a pregnancy. Arizona's was at fifty-four. _

"_Really?" He asked as he looked up at Arizona. His eyes couldn't stay off of her midsection. _

_Arizona smiled and nodded, "Really."_

_Alex couldn't stand to not be touching Arizona any longer. He pulled her into a gentle hug and held her tightly. "How long have you known?" he whispered into her ear._

"_This morning. I know I'm not even late for another two days but I had a feeling so I took a test. There were two lines. The other line was barely there so I wanted to do blood work before I said anything in case my eyes were just making me see what I wanted to see. I'm sorry I avoided you all day but I wanted to wait until I knew for sure. I couldn't stand to give you bad news again and I knew if I saw you I wouldn't be able to keep it in."_

"_Best news I've heard in a long time," Alex smiled as he released his grip on Arizona so that he could look in her eyes._

"_Yeah?" she questioned with tears in her eyes. _

"_Yeah. I'm going to be a dad again," he replied right before his lips captured hers. He lost himself in the kiss as he let one hand run through her curly locks while the other found its way to her stomach, an area he knew would now be a magnet for his hand. _

**…**

_Two weeks after Arizona shared their news, Alex woke up to find his wife hunched over the toilet bowl trying not to throw up. This was the third day in a row. Alex attempted to soothe her by rubbing her back while she was resting her head on the toilet much like he did months before on her birthday. _

"_I hate you," Arizona growled. "I can't even smell corn without needing to throw up. And we live in Malawi where the main food is freaking corn!"_

_If Alex thought the mood swings from fertility medications were bad, pregnancy hormones were even worse. "It's a good thing that you're sick, baby. It means that our baby is healthy," he tried to soothe. _

_Arizona replied with another declaration of hatred, "I hate you, Alexander Karev."_

_Alex knew he was battling craziness and gave up. He placed a kiss on her temple and decided to make her life easier in the ways that he could help. He couldn't take away her morning sickness but he could get the twins ready for the day. By the time Arizona was ready for work, the boys were fed and ready for a day of fun with their nanny. Alex pushed a bowl of oatmeal under her face as she sat down at the table with her family. She took one sniff of it and pushed it away; instead choosing to grab a bottle of water and a bag of crackers. Alex knew she needed to eat but was wisely choosing his battles after being in the dog house all day the day prior after he tried to force her to eat. She was a doctor too and she knew how to take care of herself and he had to let her do that._

_Arizona was absolutely miserable. She was constantly tired, nauseous and overall cranky. It was not pretty. She was not glowing. She hated that she didn't get to spend as much time with her kids anymore. She'd make an attempt to eat dinner and then quietly slip into bed. She couldn't even remember the last time she and Alex had sex. But throughout it all, Alex had been amazing. He didn't get angry when she would go off on him for no reason. He didn't complain that she wasn't helping him potty train their sons. He didn't get mad at her for falling asleep early on nights that she had promised him sex. Instead, he gave her space when she needed it and held her close when she needed it. He brought story time to their bedroom so that she could get her good night cuddles without having to get out of bed. He was constantly telling her she was beautiful when she felt anything but. He was amazing. _

_The two times that she actually enjoyed the pregnancy during the first trimester were the two times that she got to see the baby growing inside of her. Even if it only looked like a peanut – it was still her peanut. The first time they saw it flickering on the ultrasound and heard the heartbeat, both Alex and Arizona were in tears even if Alex wouldn't admit it. They had made that; they had created a life. At her last ultrasound, at thirteen weeks, the peanut actually resembled a baby. Seeing their baby floating in her uterus made the previous twelve weeks of hell and the months of fertility drugs worth it. Plus, at the last visit, her doctor was able to give her a prescription for anti-nausea medications that would surely make her life better. Unfortunately, they were out of the medication in Mzuzu so Arizona had to think about other options. She decided to fax the prescription to her best friend in Seattle to get it filled for her. Teddy was due to visit the next week to do a surgery on Abe and it would be the quickest way for Arizona to get the meds. Arizona could only imagine the look on Teddy's face when she received a fax for a prescription of Zofran in Arizona's name. _

_Sure enough, two hours after sending the fax, Arizona's work e-mail beeped with a four word sentence from Teddy: Get on Skype now._

_Arizona snickered as she got up to close her office door to ensure total privacy for the conversation. She smiled as she saw Teddy's face appear on her computer. "You're either up late or really early, Teds."_

"_Don't small talk me, Arizona Robbins," Teddy glared at her friend and held up a sheet of paper. "What the hell is this?"_

_Arizona smirked not ready to tell Teddy what she already knew, "It's what it says it is. Can you get it and bring it with you next week?"_

_Teddy growled, "Yes, but what I don't get is why you would need Zofran. Something you need to tell me?"_

"_I need it because morning sickness is a bitch." _

_Teddy's eyes widened, "And that is your way of saying…" _

"_That I'm pregnant. Thirteen weeks today." Arizona's smile only got wider after revealing her secret. It felt really good to say it out loud to someone other than Alex. _

"_Congratulations! I had no idea you guys were even trying," Teddy caught herself before she stuck her foot any further in her mouth. "You guys were trying, right? Or is this a happy surprise?"_

_Arizona chuckled, "We were trying and we're very happy. I'll be even happier if I can get some Zofran so I don't spend every two hours throwing up."_

"_I'll get this filled in the morning. I wish I had more time to talk but I have an intern prepping for surgery. We'll have another Skype date before I fly in, okay?"_

"_Definitely. You need to see the pictures of your new godbaby."_

_Teddy grinned at Arizona, "Congratulations again. Give my love to Alex and the boys."_

"_Will do. Love you, Teds."_

"_Love you too. Bye."_

_Arizona was all smiles as she closed out the image of Teddy. One person down, now she just needed to tell her family. They also had no idea that they were even trying to get pregnant so this news was sure to catch them off guard as well. It was only Wednesday and Arizona had been keeping the secret for so long that she couldn't wait until their weekly chat on Sunday to share the news. But due to the time change, they would have to at least wait until late that night to be able to talk to her parents. _

_Arizona was exhausted but was determined to stay awake until midnight so that they could Skype her parents just after they would be finishing dinner in Boston. After putting the twins down for bed, Alex drug Arizona onto the couch with him. He refused to even let her lay down on the couch because he knew how badly she wanted to tell her parents that night. Once he was sure that Arizona wasn't going to fall asleep, Alex got himself comfortable with his head in her lap. It was his favorite position these days because it put him up close and personal with the very slight, blink and you'll miss it, baby bump. Alex let his fingers push up on Arizona's t-shirt so that he could feel her skin; the skin that was covering their baby. After giving his baby some love, he settled down on his back so that he could keep an eye on Arizona's tired eyes. He saw her eyes getting heavy and had to come up with a plan to keep her awake for another four hours. He decided he had to keep her talking; once Arizona started talking, she wouldn't shut up._

_Alex grabbed her hand that was resting on his waist and linked their fingers giving it a gentle squeeze. "We need to start thinking about what we're going to do."_

_Arizona lifted her heavy lids to ask for clarification, "What we're going to do about what?"_

"_About the fact that our contracts are up in three months, remember? We put off the decision until you were out of the first trimester – which is now."_

_Arizona's eyes bugged out at the thought of the major life decision that they still had to make. "Right. That. What do you think?"_

"_You know that I love it here. I love the cases. I love the people. I fell in love with you here. We brought our babies home here."_

"_But?"_

"_But what are you thinking?" Alex turned the tables on his wife wanting to hear her opinion before he gave her his._

"_I feel the same way, babe. This place has been amazing. And if we didn't have our boys and weren't having a baby in seven months I would not hesitate to sign another contract. But we do have two growing sons and we are having a baby."_

"_And?" Alex asked when Arizona quit talking._

"_We've only been back twice in three years," Arizona sighed. "I didn't grow up around my extended family. I saw them once a year if that. I don't know if I want my children to grow up the same way – I don't think I do. My parents adore the boys and are going to be over the moon about this baby. I really want our babies to have grandparents. To have cousins – if my sister ever has kids," Arizona took a break and wiped her eyes. Alex looked up to see tears in her eyes. "Stupid hormones," she muttered._

_Alex took the hand he had been holding and gave it a squeeze and a kiss. "I feel the same way, baby. I want our kids to have everything that we didn't have. So I guess we're leaving Malawi."_

"_I guess so," Arizona sighed as the enormity of everything that they would have to do came down on her. Alex wanted her to stay awake and he got his wish because she sure wasn't going to go to sleep anytime soon now. "We have so much to do. We have to get jobs. How are we even going to get jobs from Africa? We have to make sure all of the paperwork for the boys is in order. We have to find a place to live and now we actually have to pay attention to stuff like school districts. And I'm going to be all big and fat while we're doing this. I'll need to find a new OB as soon as we move. Alex, what the hell were we thinking trying to do all of this and have a baby at the same time?"_

_Arizona was officially freaking out. Alex quickly sat up and moved so that he was by her side and pulled her into him so that he could calm her down. "You always have people begging you to work for them so I don't think it will be a problem. You can get a headhunter to do practically everything for you with the job search and we'll focus on Boston so we can be close to your parents. Plus, there are a million hospitals there which will make it easier for me to get a job too. And if I can't get a job you can be my sugar mama and I can be a stay-at-home dad," Alex paused to kiss his wife as she rolled her eyes at the thought of being anyone's 'sugar mama.' He continued, "Everything else will be easy after that. And you will never be fat. You're pregnant and so unbelievably beautiful. My wife is not fat."_

"_I don't feel beautiful when I spend my days in the toilet," Arizona muttered._

_Alex grabbed her chin to tilt her head toward him. "You are gorgeous." He put his palm on her baby bump, "I know this baby is making your life hell these days but you have never been more beautiful. Got that?"_

"_Yes, sir," Arizona threw up a hand in a salute as Alex kissed her so hard to prove to her just how beautiful he still thought she was even when she spent her days throwing up. _

"_Everything will all work out. I promise," Alex put a hand over their baby again and a kiss to her temple as she tried to stop freaking out over everything they had to do. "How about we talk about what we want in a house while we wait?"_

"_Oooh!" Arizona squealed and clapped. "I like this topic of conversation."_

"_I knew you would. What are our requirements?"_

"_At least five bedrooms. I don't want our kids to have to share rooms and I'd like at least one guest room. And a huge backyard for the boys. I can just see them running around playing soccer with their little brother or sister trying to keep up with them," Arizona said as if she had been thinking about her dream house for awhile and she had._

"_That sounds great," Alex agreed. "As long as there is room for my man cave."_

"_Man cave?" Arizona questioned._

"_Yeah. Where I can watch sports and play video games without being yelled at. Where you can't yell at me if I spill my beer and don't clean it up for three days…"_

_Arizona interrupted, "But that's just not sanitary."_

"_But it's the man cave. There are no rules. That's the beauty of it."_

_Alex and Arizona spent the next couple of hours talking about where they wanted to live. Before they knew it, it was midnight and an acceptable time to call home to Boston. Arizona's parents were surprised to receive a call from their daughter. She had tried them on Skype but when they didn't answer she had to resort to a regular phone in order to tell them to get online. _

"_So, why are you kids up so late on a work night?" Daniel cut straight to the point. He knew that Arizona wouldn't call on a non-scheduled day for no reason._

_Alex and Arizona exchanged a look. They should have spent some of their wait figuring out how to tell her parents. The fact that they couldn't keep the smiles off their faces at least let her parents know that it wasn't bad news that they were calling to share._

"_We wanted to let you guys know that…" Alex began hoping that Arizona would take over._

"_That we're not renewing our contracts so we're going to be moving back to the U.S. in about three months," Arizona finished, not able to share their secret just yet. _

"_Really?" Arizona's mom asked excitedly. "It's about time!"_

"_Well, we have a good reason to move back," Alex answered as he looked toward Arizona. Again, hoping that his setup would prompt Arizona to tell her parents. He wasn't about to tell them that he knocked up their daughter. _

"_And what is that baby girl?" Daniel asked, starting to get annoyed that they weren't just saying what they called to tell them._

"_Well, that's because…," she stumbled. She was thirty-five years old yet she couldn't tell her parents that she was pregnant. She took a deep breath and spit it out, "Because we're having a baby."_

"_My baby is having a baby!" Barbara threw her hand over her mouth and bounced in her seat. _

_Arizona held up the ultrasound picture from earlier in the day for her parents to see. "I'm due in late May."_

"_Congratulations Arizona. And Alex. This is great news," Daniel smiled even though he really wanted to kick Alex's ass for getting his daughter pregnant. He really was genuinely happy. He just had to get past the fact that his baby had obviously had sex with a man. _

"_That's the cutest baby I've ever seen," Barbara gushed as her hand reached out to touch the computer screen. "Don't tell your sister I said that though. She'll get jealous."_

"_Speaking of, don't tell Emily. I'm talking to her tomorrow," Arizona stressed to her mother._

"_Of course, sweetie," Barbara assured her. "How are you feeling? Everything is going well?" _

"_Everything is great," Alex finally spoke up but kept his eye contact with Barbara as he knew Daniel was probably glaring at him. "The heartbeat was at 136 beats per minute today which is perfect. Organs and limbs are right on track with their development."_

"_If only I could go more than two hours without throwing up, everything would be perfect," Arizona added._

_Daniel's eyes darted to Alex's when his daughter mentioned being sick all the time; this was Alex's fault. "You stay on her, Alex. Make sure she takes care of herself."_

"_Dad, stop," Arizona interrupted. "He's taking very good care of me. He doesn't let me do anything around the house anymore. He takes care of the boys when I'm asleep at seven o'clock and he always forces food down my throat even though I'm just going to throw it up later."_

"_Good," Daniel nodded as he continued to glare at Alex. "Well, it is way past your bedtime then. You need your sleep."_

"_Your father is right," Barbara agreed. "We'll e-mail tomorrow and of course talk to you again on Sunday." Barbara smiled as she looked at her daughter with love, "I wish I could hug you both right now. I'm so happy for you guys. And even happier that my grandbabies will be back in the U.S. soon. Is there any chance that maybe you guys will move to Boston?"_

"_Barb – Arizona needs to sleep. We can talk about all of this on Sunday," Daniel saved Arizona and Alex from having to start talking about decisions that they themselves just figured out. "Good night, baby girl. Alex. Love to you both. Give my boys a hug from me."_

"_Love you!" Barb added over her husband's goodbye._

"_Love you guys too," Arizona smiled._

"_Good night," Alex added before closing the window on the computer._

_Alex wasted no time in reaching down to scoop up Arizona and put her to bed. Alex's hand instinctively moved to Arizona's belly as he got comfortable behind her. "You're sleeping in tomorrow. I'll cover for you. I don't want to see you in the clinic before ten. Got it?" _

_Arizona noted Alex's tone and knew not to even try to fight him. Plus, a few extra hours of sleep sounded heavenly to her. _

**…**

_Alex was right and once they got started on their plans to leave Mzuzu everything fell into place. The Carter-Madison committee was sad to lose the surgeons that helped turn a small village clinic into a small children's hospital but they understood their reasons for leaving. They elected Arizona to the clinic board of directors so that she could still help oversee the clinic. She and Alex agreed to return for one month every summer to conduct training with the staff and make sure the clinic was running like it should. _

_The job situation also worked itself out. Two weeks after contacting a headhunter, Arizona had met with four different Boston hospitals via Skype and had set up in-person final interviews with the final two hospitals. During a short trip to Boston, Arizona accepted the position as a Co-Chief of General Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital. She chose it not just because it is the best pediatric hospital in the nation but also because Boston Children's operated as a triumvirate of leadership. She would be one of three chiefs of surgery. They spread the workload out among three so that everyone could have a life outside of the hospital. She would work normal hours that would ensure her the time she needed and wanted with her family. The hospital would also allow her to take a month of leave every July so that she could return to Mzuzu. Children's also happened to have an opening for an attending surgeon. Alex would still have to interview but Arizona was confident he would get the job. _

_The rest of their time in Mzuzu flew by and their last day had arrived. Boxes littered their hallways and bedrooms. Arizona and Alex were donating almost everything that they had acquired over the years with only one small box filled with souvenirs and memorable items put aside to be mailed to Arizona's parents' house in Boston. For their part, Abe and Eli had no idea what was going on. At two years old their parents decided it was best not to even talk to them about the move. They wouldn't understand and while they would probably be upset for a few days they would acclimate to their new home easier than their parents would._

_As the final hours counted down, Alex could tell that Arizona was starting to get emotional. She had been standing in the doorway of the boys' room watching them nap for over fifteen minutes. He walked up behind her and rested his head on her shoulder as his hands moved to wrap around her ever expanding baby bump. "I'm going to miss this place," Alex whispered in her ear, careful not to talk too loudly to wake up the boys._

"_Me too," she sighed as she relaxed into his body. "I didn't think it would be this hard to say goodbye."_

"_I know," he nipped at her shoulder and pushed his palm a little harder into her belly to feel their baby kicking him. "But we're going to make so many new memories in Boston."_

"_And we'll be back before we know it," Arizona finished Alex's normal spiel. He said the same things every time Arizona got misty eyed about leaving Africa. Arizona let her hands cover Alex's over her belly. "And when we come back, we'll get to introduce someone new to the beauty of this place."_

_Alex placed a kiss beneath her earlobe, "I can't wait to show him or her where we fell in love and where they were conceived."_

"_That's something I don't think our child will ever really care to know," Arizona laughed as she turned so that she was facing her husband._

"_Yeah, probably not," Alex chuckled as he leaned in to steal a kiss. "I'm going to finish packing up. Our ride to the airport will be here in three hours."_

"_What can I do to help?" _

"_Nothing. No heavy lifting for you," Alex walked back to the living room with Arizona hot on his heels._

_Arizona pointed to her belly. "Pregnant. Not invalid."_

"_Humor me," Alex said as he walked back to her and rested his hands on their baby. "You're growing a baby; you are doing more than enough. And I'm pretty much done anyway. So you rest because I know we're not going to get much sleep until we get to Boston."_

"_Only if you come lay with me for a bit," Arizona pouted. _

_The bedroom was bare. The bed had been stripped and had no pillows but Arizona and Alex were still able to get comfortable. Alex rested his head on Arizona's shoulder as his hand continued to roam over their baby. _

"_He's kicking a lot today," Alex commented as he felt a thump on his hand._

"_I don't think she wants to leave this place either," Arizona commented. _

_They chose not to find out the baby's gender. Arizona who normally hated surprises didn't want to know. She claimed that it was the one true surprise left in the world and she didn't want to ruin it. So instead they each referred to the baby by the gender they thought that it was. Alex was sure that it was a boy and Arizona thought it was a girl._

"_It's crazy to think that the baby is now at the same point that the boys were when they were born," Alex commented as he scooted down the bed to be closer to the baby bump._

"_Don't give her any ideas," Arizona ran her hand through Alex's hair. "She's not coming out anytime soon."_

"_It's a boy, Zo," Alex said as he pressed a kiss right above her popped out belly button. "He totally stops kicking and lets you sleep only after listening to my sports stories."_

"_Girls can like sports too," Arizona countered. "Just try not to be so disappointed when she's born, babe. You don't want to give her a complex when she's only just arrived. At least wait until she's a teenager for that," Arizona informed her husband who raised his eyebrow at her. "I need a girl to balance out this family. I need some more estrogen in the house."_

"_Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree for the next sixteen weeks or so until he is born and proves me right," Alex said as he made his way back up to Arizona's face to plant a kiss on her lips. "I'm going to go finish packing. You take a nap."_

"_But I'm not sleepy," Arizona whined and grabbed onto the back of Alex's head, trapping him against her lips. "I have another need you could take care of for me though."_

"_I need to finish packing or else we'll miss our plane."_

_Arizona pushed Alex roughly against the bed and straddled him, "But we need to say goodbye properly to our bedroom."_

"_I thought we did that last night?" Alex let his hands take a firm grip on Arizona's ass as he watched her strip her top off._

"_Are you really going to deny your pregnant wife?"_

_Alex pulled her so that she was sitting on his waist and let her feel his arousal to answer her question. He gently maneuvered them into a position that would be comfortable for them both so that they could say a proper goodbye to their bed._

_Arizona was woken up by Alex shaking her a few hours later telling her that they had fifteen minutes before they were leaving. Arizona wiped the sleep out of her eyes and got up to get everything ready to leave. After the luggage was in the car and the boys were strapped into their car seats, Alex and Arizona took one last walkthrough the house to ensure they weren't forgetting anything. They held hands as they turned out the lights and gave one last look over their shoulder as they shut the front door. _

**…**

_The family adjusted rather quickly to life in the United States. Abe and Eli were so tickled to be spending time with their grandparents that they didn't even realize the change in scenery. Arizona and Alex were so busy finding the perfect house, fighting over how to furnish it, and starting new jobs that Arizona's final month of pregnancy completely snuck up on them._

"_Dr. Robbins?" Alex lightly rapped on the outside of Arizona's closed office door. They tried to maintain some semblance of a professional relationship at work. He glanced at the secretary, Pam, who the three chiefs shared in their common office waiting area. She shrugged her shoulders at Alex so he gently pushed open the office door. He couldn't help but smile as he saw his wife curled up and fast asleep on her office couch, one hand flung over the top of her head and the other resting on her very large baby bump. He gave the secretary a sheepish grin as he quietly closed the door behind him. He kneeled down beside her and covered her hand over their baby with his. He hated to wake her up but they had an appointment. He tried the sweet way of waking her up with a kiss but when that didn't work he had to resort to shaking her shoulder._

"_I'm up!" Arizona exclaimed sleepily as she struggled to sit up straight and open her eyes. "What are you doing here?"_

"_We have a baby appointment in a half hour, remember?"_

"_Mmm. Yes," Arizona yawned. "Sorry. So sleepy today."_

_Alex stood up and held out his hand to help Arizona get off the couch. "This is why I said you should start cutting back."_

"_If I could just have coffee I'd be fine," Arizona muttered under her breath as she opened her office door to leave with Alex following dutifully behind. She stopped by her secretary's desk before heading out. "I'll be back in less than two hours. Call my cell if you need anything."_

_Behind her back Alex was shaking his head at Pam, silently telling her not to bother Arizona with anything until she got back to work that afternoon._

_The doctor's visit was short and sweet – just the way Arizona liked them to be. She had control issues and not being the one in charge of her own care was not something she enjoyed. Everything still looked perfect with their baby and they reiterated once again that they still did not want to know the gender. After making an appointment for the following week, Arizona and Alex still had an hour before they were due back at the hospital. _

"_Fancy a lunch date, Mrs. Karev?" Alex asked as they walked out into the still cool Boston spring air. A gust of wind blew by them causing Alex to tighten his jacket around him. It was fifty-five degrees outside but after three years in Africa it felt more like freezing temperatures._

_Arizona linked her arm with her husband's, "What do you have in mind, Mr. Karev?"_

"_Baby wanting anything in particular today?" Alex asked knowing full well that all of their meals now revolved around what Arizona was craving at the time._

"_Hmm," Arizona pondered as she absentmindedly rubbed her stomach. "I'm thinking Thai. There's that place two blocks down from the hospital. They have the best pad thai."_

"_Sounds good, baby."_

_The restaurant wasn't busy and they were quickly seated. After placing their orders, Alex took a moment to appreciate the beauty sitting across from him. It was true that his wife really did have the pregnant glow. He loved just watching her. He would watch her as she would read bedtime stories to the boys and then struggle to stand after laying in one of their beds. He watched as she would stand in the doorway to the baby's room. He knew she was thinking the same things he did when he would look into the room – thinking about their future and about what their new baby would be like._

"_Do I have something on my face? We haven't even eaten yet so I don't know how that is possible." Arizona asked as Alex stared at her._

_Alex blushed at being caught, "Sorry. You're just so beautiful. As much as I can't wait to meet our baby, you are a gorgeous pregnant woman."_

"_Well I for one cannot wait for this," she pointed at her belly. "To come on out already. I'm ready to be in control of my body again and to be able to sleep without being used as a punching bag would be really super."_

"_Well, the doctor did say that it really could be any time now. You're only thirty-seven weeks but maybe the peanut will come early."_

"_I wish. But I bet she's as stubborn as her daddy and comes late."_

"_Well if he is late then it's because he's as stubborn as his mama." Arizona snorted and Alex continued, "Girl or boy – they still need a name."_

"_Right. A name. It's just so permanent. What if they hate the name we pick?"_

_The waiter arrived with their plates and after he had gone Alex continued the name talk. "Well let's set some rules. Like we did for when we named the boys."_

"_Okay. I want the name to mean something. Like mine and my siblings. Tim was named after my grandfather. I was named after the ship my grandfather served and died on. Emily was named after my grandmother. I like the tradition," Arizona explained._

"_I don't have any real family names though. At least no one that I would ever want to name my child after. Does that mean we're stuck with 'Arizona?'" Alex teased but was somewhat serious. He liked the idea of family names but hated that he didn't have any of his own to contribute._

"_It's just something to think about. We've still got time," Arizona said between bites. "Can we now talk about the fact that you impregnated me with a monster baby? Seriously Alex, this baby is measuring at over eight pounds and we still have weeks to go!"_

_Alex choked on his food at the accusation. "Like it's my fault? Your mom said that you and your siblings were all over seven pounds each."_

"_If I have to have a c-section to get this baby out of me because it's too big, you are going to pay – and you know that means no sex. A c-section would totally ruin our birth plan."_

_Alex shrugged his shoulders, "We can't have sex for at least six weeks after anyway, so you better come up with something better to threaten me with."_

"_I'm going to preemptively cut you off starting now." _

"_Okay," he agreed. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to keep her promise. Arizona's hormones were on fire and she couldn't keep her hands off of him when they were alone. _

_After finishing their meals they headed back to the hospital and back to work. Alex kept his arm around his wife until they walked through the entrance when she turned back into Dr. Robbins and he was Dr. Karev. Even though everyone knew that they were married, they liked to keep the boundaries up so that people didn't think that he was getting any special treatment. Only behind closed doors of offices and on-call rooms did they let those boundaries come down. _

"_Your office at six?" Alex asked his wife to confirm their plans to meet up before they headed in separate directions in the hospital._

"_Be there or be square," Arizona winked at Alex as she stole a chaste kiss and turned the corner to go back to her office for the afternoon._

**…**

"_Why did you not wake me up?" Alex yelled as he walked into the kitchen. He had woken up in the middle of the night to find the other side of the bed empty. When he went in search of his wife he found her doubled over the kitchen counter in pain. "We need to go to the hospital, baby."_

"_I'm fine," Arizona said through gritted teeth. "It's still really early. I'd rather be comfortable at home for as long as possible before going to the hospital."_

_Alex grabbed Arizona by the side and walked her back to their bedroom to sit down. "I'm going to call your mom so she can come get the boys. They'll be scared if they see you like this. Why didn't you wake me up?" _

"_Wait until morning. They're sleeping and won't wake up for awhile anyway." " Arizona grimaced as another contraction took hold. "And I didn't want to bother you. No point in both of us not sleeping tonight."_

"_My wife in labor is not bothering me! Now let me check," Alex demanded as he gently pushed Arizona back on the bed so that she was lying down and then left to go grab some gloves from the bathroom._

"_You're not checking anything!" Arizona yelled after him._

_Alex gently slipped Arizona's pants off and started to work on her underwear when Arizona's hand on his stopped his movements. "I want to see how much you're dilated. Your water hasn't broken, right? Or is that something else you failed to tell me?"_

"_No, not yet," Arizona relinquished Alex's hand and let him check her cervix. She knew he wouldn't let up until he did._

"_Looks like you're at about three centimeters. So still quite a bit to go. I still think we should go to the hospital."_

"_Contractions aren't even at ten minutes apart yet. Let's just rest here for a few hours," Arizona pleaded with him._

_Alex can't say no to his wife and he knew there really wasn't anything they would do at the hospital for Arizona other than hook her up to all the machines. "Okay, but I'm going to check you every hour and once you hit five or your water breaks we're going in. Okay?"_

"_Thank you. Now please hold me."_

_Alex discarded his gloves and scooted up so that he was lying behind Arizona spooning her. He tried his best to coach her through each contraction by whispering words of strength and encouragement in her ears and reminding her that they'd be holding a baby in their arms soon. _

_Ten hours later they headed off to the hospital. Almost one full day after that their daughter was born. It had been a long labor but their baby finally made her entrance into the world. Like they had planned and just like her older brothers, Alex was the one to deliver her. He was the one to hold her for the very first time and place her on her mother's chest._

"_She's perfect, Zo." Alex whispered as he watched Arizona look at their daughter for the very first time. "Just like her Mama. You did good," he said as he placed a soft kiss on his wife's temple._

_Arizona was completely exhausted. After being in labor for a day and a half and pushing for hours she was completely void of energy but her exhaustion wasn't even noticeable as she smiled brightly looking through her tears at her daughter. "Hi baby. I love you," Arizona whispered to her baby girl. Then she turned her head to look at her husband whose head was right next to hers. "We did good. You can say it now."_

"_Say what?" Alex said as he gazed lovingly at his daughter._

_Arizona tore her eyes from her baby's to look at Alex. "You know what."_

"_Okay fine, you were right. And I couldn't be happier that you were," Alex leaned in to capture his wife's lips. They were salty from sweat but she had never tasted better to him. "Since you were right about her being a her – what are we going to call her?"_

_They both gazed at their daughter for several minutes, going through the list of potential names in their heads as they tried to figure out exactly which name she looked like the most._

"_Daniella," Alex said as he took his daughter's tiny fingers in his hand. _

"_You sure?" Arizona looked to her husband. They had been debating names for weeks and the only name that they could agree on was Daniel which would not work for a girl. When Arizona suggested Daniella, Alex initially hated it. Call it sexist but he did not want his daughter's nickname to be manly. When Arizona mentioned that they could call her Ella instead of Dani he warmed up to the idea._

"_Yep," Alex leaned up to place a kiss on his daughter's still covered in gunk forehead. "Daniella Elizabeth Karev. She looks like an Ella."_

"_Hi Ella," Arizona whispered to her daughter while playing with her fingers only to be interrupted by the OB clearing her throat obviously not wanting to break up the family moment._

"_We need to take her for a few minutes. We won't be long. Dad can come with us," the doctor interrupted. _

_Alex looked at his wife. He didn't want to leave her but he didn't want his baby to go off alone. Arizona could tell that he was torn. "Go," she encouraged. "I'll be fine here. Plus, you smell worse than I do so go find some new scrubs." _

_Alex glanced down at his scrubs that were a mess – covered in baby gunk and urine since their daughter decided to christen him after birth. He nodded and kissed her one more time before gently picking up his newborn daughter and cradling her in his arms as he followed the nurses down the hall to the nursery where they would give Daniella her first bath and her first exam. When she was clean and proclaimed to be in perfect health, Alex was able to bring her back to her mother. _

"_Still perfect," he whispered as he put her back in her mother's arms. "You are so amazing."_

"_Was that to me or the baby?" Arizona laughed. She was a bit delirious from exhaustion and happiness._

_Alex smiled, "To you but she is pretty amazing too." Alex felt his hip vibrate. His pager and phone had been going off for the last few hours. Once they got to the final stages of labor Alex let the family know that they were close and they have been wanting an update ever since. "Your sister is blowing up my phone. I haven't even told them she was born but I think judging by the texts they've heard the news. You ready for visitors?"_

_Arizona couldn't take her eyes off of her baby, "Yeah. But it's five in the morning. Can you politely tell them to make it quick?"_

"_I'll make sure they don't stay long. They'll understand," Alex gave both of his girls a kiss goodbye and headed to the waiting room._

_Arizona's parents and sister didn't even stay ten minutes. Arizona wondered just how polite Alex was; knowing her husband's tendency to not beat around the bush, he probably flat out told them not to stay long. Everyone was immediately smitten with the baby and they promised they would return around dinner time with the boys so that they could meet their little sister._

**…**

_Alex was in the waiting room waiting for Arizona's parents to arrive with his sons. He was completely exhausted and had barely slept in three days but he couldn't have been happier. But he was nervous about what was about to happen. They had talked a lot with the boys about the changes that were going to happen when the baby growing in their Mama's tummy arrived. They were used to hearing the word baby around the house but they weren't exactly sure what a baby was so Alex bought them baby dolls so that they could get used to what a baby would look like and how to be gentle with a baby. They tried to include the boys in helping to decorate the nursery and talk about what toys they'd like to share with their new baby sibling. But even after all of that, Alex was still unsure just how they'd take to the little girl._

"_Daddy!" the boys yelled from the doorway causing their father to turn his head in time to see his two tiny toddlers colliding with his legs. _

_Alex kneeled down to their level to greet them. "Hey guys. Have you been good for Grandpa and Grandma?"_

_The boys nodded their heads earnestly. "Where's Mama? Want Mama!" they exclaimed together. _

_Alex stood grasping a tiny hand in each of his hands. Barbara and Daniel told him they were going to go get the real food that Arizona requested and would be back in a little while. Alex smiled gratefully at them for the alone time. As they walked down the hall toward Arizona's room Alex again tried to explain to the boys that they now had a little sister. Alex was sure that they wouldn't really understand it until they met Daniella and even then they probably would still be unsure of her for at least a few weeks until they realized that she wasn't going away._

_As Alex pushed open the door to the room, the boys immediately slipped through and ran toward their mother in the bed. Since the hospital bed was taller than the beds they were used to, they couldn't climb their way up like they could at home. Arizona smiled as soon as she saw their smiling faces begging for her help to get on the bed. Emily who had been holding the baby in a rocking chair in the corner of the room quietly stood and passed Daniella off to Alex before slipping out of the room. The boys had lots of questions for their mother about why she was in the hospital bed and not in bed at home. Arizona reiterated what their father had told them – that she was in the hospital because the baby that was in her tummy had to come out. As she explained it she motioned for Alex to bring the baby over._

_Alex took a seat at the edge of the bed and passed the baby into her mother's arms. The boys looked at Alex, afraid of the thing that was moving in the pink blankets in their mother's arms. Alex sensed their nerves and pulled the boys closer to him but still close enough that they could see their sister._

"_Boys, this is your baby sister. Can you say hi to Daniella?" Arizona said as she tilted the baby in her arms so that the boys could see her better._

_Eli immediately clung to Alex's arm while Abe scooted close enough for his nose to touch his sisters. "Baby?" Abe looked up to his mother._

"_Yeah, bubba. Daniella." Arizona stressed, "Ella."_

_Abe leaned in and kissed her head just like Arizona taught him to do to his baby doll. "My baby."_

_Arizona and Alex shared a knowing look and a smile. One down and one more to get comfortable with the baby. Alex gently unlatched Eli from his arm and forced him to sit closer to his mother and sister. Eli tried to resist and kept burrowing closer to his father but Alex was adamant about Eli being next to Arizona. Eli was a Mama's boy and did not like the idea of sharing his Mama with this new baby. _

"_Elijah," Alex said softly not trying to spook him. "There's nothing to be afraid of. You were once a baby too. You were even smaller than her!"_

_Eli looked at Alex with wide eyes unable to believe that he was smaller than that thing his parents kept calling his sister. _

"_Eli, come sit by me. I've missed you so much. Come give me an Eli Bear hug," Arizona tried to get him closer._

_As Eli inched his way closer she took her free arm and wrapped it around him showing him that she can be with him and the baby at the same time. _

"_You are going to be the best big brother, E," she whispered in his ear and kissed his temple while she tugged him closer. "Can you say hi to Daniella."_

"_Hi an…dan... anella," Eli stuttered trying to pronounce his sister's name. _

_Alex smiled that Eli seemed to be doing better. "Ella," he repeated for his son._

_Eli was still stuck on trying to pronounce her full name, "Da…ella. Della!" Eli smiled at his dad proudly thinking he had finally gotten his sister's name right._

"_Ella," Arizona repeated._

"_Della," Abe chorused his brother as he took up residence in his father's lap. _

"_Hel-lo Della," Eli said confidently without stutter as he leaned in to kiss his baby sister._

"_Della, Della, Della," Eli continued to repeat as he stared at her from the safety of his mother's arms. _

_Arizona looked up at Alex and smiled. _

"_I like it. It's different but not weird. Plus we'll be able to tell her that her big brothers had a hand in her name," Alex mused as he craned his head to smile at Daniella._

"_Della it is," Arizona agreed as she moved her arm from around Eli to pull Alex in for a kiss. _

_Alex leaned back against the bed as all four of them continued to stare at Della. They smiled every time she made a noise or moved her fingers. Soon they were joined by their extended family that couldn't get enough of the baby girl. Arizona had long forgotten the miserable pregnancy and the long labor, it was all worth it for the baby in her arms. _

**…**

"Yeah, I could do that again," Arizona mused after thinking back to those moments after Della was born. "Just not for awhile."

"So for now we'll just practice… then we'll pull the goalie."

Arizona smirked at Alex's sports metaphor as she rolled on top of him. "We do need to make sure we have all the steps down correctly."

"Step one," Alex breathed out as Arizona was attacking his neck with her mouth. "Must be naked."

Arizona took that as a hint and pulled back and pulled off her dress. "What are the rest of the steps?" she mumbled against his mouth.

"Uh," Alex couldn't think straight while Arizona's mouth was traveling down his body. "We'll go over the rest later. Let's just go with what you're doing right now."

**…**

Arizona rolled over as the sun hit her eyes. She felt the urge to throw up and ran out of bed. After a few minutes she felt a familiar hand on her back.

"I feel like we've been here before," Alex teased.

Arizona groaned, "Shut up and make my cure… please."

"You know what?" Alex asked after he hit the start button on the microwave and made it back to the bathroom.

"What?" Arizona mumbled not up for whatever question game Alex wanted to play.

Alex rang out a wet washcloth and handed it to his wife. "We never tried the hangover cure for your morning sickness. I bet it works. Easy Mac cures all."

"Huh," Arizona sighed. "Maybe we'll try it next time."

"So there's going to be a next time?" Alex sank down on the floor next to her. "I wasn't sure you were going to remember that."

"Oh, I definitely remember. Like I said your babies are addictive. But not until she's walking at least."

After eating their breakfast cure they relaxed in bed waiting for their hangovers to go away completely. It was the first morning they'd been able to fully relax in months and they were enjoying just being with each other until the hotel room door opened and Barbara walked in waving her spare key as she deposited Della in their arms and the boys climbed into bed with them. Their quiet morning was over but they wouldn't have it any other way.

**…**


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are owned by ABC and not me.

A/N at the bottom.

**…**

Alex pulled their car into an empty space at Woodland Park in Seattle. They were fashionably late to the party because it had taken him over thirty minutes to convince a very stubborn Arizona into attending the Seattle Grace – Mercy West Family Picnic. He knew why she didn't want to attend; she didn't want to have to see Sofia. She had been so strong throughout their months in Seattle but Alex knew that Arizona needed to deal with the Sofia situation head on. She needed to be able to put it past her once and for all. He knew that she would always love Sofia but she needed to be able to say goodbye. She had gotten closure with Callie during their stay in Seattle but she needed closure with Sofia as well. If Alex had his way, Arizona would get her closure at the party whether she wanted it or not.

As Alex turned the car engine off and unbuckled his seatbelt he noticed that Arizona hadn't moved from her position in the passenger seat. He leaned over and released her seatbelt for her. "We don't have to stay long, Zo. The zoo is right next door and I know two little boys that would love to see some m-o-n-k-e-y-s and some animals from home."

Arizona nodded, "Why are we here again? Can't we just go straight to the zoo?"

"We're here because you, Miss Manners, have always said that it is rude to turn down an invitation when you don't have other plans."

"Well at least I know you listen to me sometimes. Sometimes I think you belong in the zoo," Arizona muttered under her breath as she opened her car door.

"I heard that," Alex yelled from the other side of the car as they both opened their respective back seat doors to free their children from their car seats.

Arizona smiled as she put Eli on the ground and went to grab Della from her infant seat, "Good. I meant for you to hear it. I wish I was with my mom and Emily. A day at the spa sounds way better than being here."

With their hands full of children and bags of things for the children, they made their way toward the playground and picnic part of the park to meet the rest of their friends. Alex jostled the bags he was carrying from one arm to other so that he was able to reach down and hold Arizona's hand and give her the support she would need to get through the day.

Arizona flashed Alex a grateful smile and leaned over the baby in her arms to give him a chaste kiss in thanks. "Promise me you won't leave me alone?"

**…**

Arizona scanned the playground from her seat on the ledge of the playground where the sand turned into woodchips and grass. She was grateful that she was able to find a quiet spot away from the hospital gossipers. She spotted one son who was scaling the toddler climbing wall and making his way toward the slide. His tiny Boston Red Sox cap that was still too big for his head made him easy to find in the crowd of children. He looked up before he entered the tube slide and made eye contact with his mother. He smiled brightly and gave a wild wave to her before he disappeared into the slide and came out at the bottom seconds later. Arizona saw him giggling as he made his way back to the climbing wall to repeat the process over and over again. Arizona smiled and waved back as she watched him go. After spending a few minutes watching Eli play on the slide she searched out her other son. He wasn't far from her. He had strict rules for playing at the playground because he was still recovering from major heart surgery. The main rule was that he couldn't run. He had to work up to running and right now just walking was enough exercise for his heart. Arizona had no doubt that by next fall he would be playing on his first soccer team but for now he still had to take it easy. Abe was right where she left him a few feet away from her playing in the sand. Abe was busy operating a toy truck that he was using to dig a small hole in the sand. Unfortunately for Abe the sand kept filling in on itself so he wasn't making much progress. It didn't deter him though. The little boy just tried to move the sand faster. Once she had made sure that both of her sons were busy playing she searched out the rest of her family. Alex was standing in a circle talking with Meredith and April. Alex was busy making faces at Meredith's young daughter who was trying to escape her mother's grip. That left only one missing person in her family and after another scan of the playground she found Teddy with Della on her lap being pushed on the swings by Mark. This was the first time in the hour that they had been at the Seattle Grace – Mercy West Family Picnic that she had seen Mark. If Mark was there, then that meant that Sofia was probably somewhere nearby. The thought of seeing Sofia again made Arizona's breath catch in her lungs. She took a few calming breaths as she reminded herself that she was okay and that she would be okay even if she had to deal with Sofia.

"Mama!" Abe squawked from his spot near her.

Hearing Abe's voice caused Arizona to forget all about worrying about Sofia and instead put a huge smile on her face. "What's up, bubba?"

"Mama!" he pushed a dump truck in her direction. "You help."

Arizona raised one eyebrow and her son immediately knew he had forgotten a crucial part of his question.

"Please?" Abe asked. "Chonde?" he added throwing in the Chichewa translation to help him get his mother into his sand adventures.

Arizona couldn't turn down one of her favorite boys so she plopped herself down in the sand next to Abe to help him dig his hole in the sand. "Like this?" Arizona asked Abe for guidance on just how he wanted her to help. While Abe was usually most like his father, his compulsion to have things done his way or no way at all was very much like his mother.

"No, Mama," Abe shook his head and took the truck from her hand and demonstrated just how she was to dig. "Like this. See?"

"Let me try," Arizona took the truck back and purposefully did not dig the way he had instructed. She loved to see Abe get huffy with her. He would throw his hands up in the air and then put them on his hips, just like she would do when she was frustrated. It was too cute for her not to play with him for a few minutes. After having her almost three-year-old instruct her on the proper way to dig in the sand with a Tonka truck for a third time she finally was able to do it to Abe's satisfaction.

After fifteen minutes of digging the best hole she had ever seen, Abe declared that he was thirsty. Arizona grabbed their trucks and dusted herself and Abe off and headed back toward the picnic table where she had left their bags. When she glanced at the picnic table and saw who was sitting at it she swore under her breath.

"Of course Cristina and Callie are sitting there," Arizona mumbled.

"What Mama?" Abe looked up to his mother curiously, not understanding any of what she had just said.

"Nothing, baby. Let's go get a juice box."

Arizona plastered her best smile on her face as they walked up to the women at the picnic table. "Hey guys," she greeted as she set the trucks down on the ground next to their things.

"Hey Arizona," Cristina and Callie chorused together.

"Abe – you remember Dr. Cristina?" Arizona asked the young boy as she fished out a juice box. The little boy nodded his head. "And this is Dr. Callie," she introduced him to the other woman sitting at their table.

Abe mumbled a shy greeting as Arizona sat him down next to her on the picnic bench next to Callie and opposite Cristina.

"How's he doing with his recovery?" Cristina asked.

Arizona ran her hand over Abe's short hair. "Really well. The hardest part is keeping him from over exerting himself. If he had his way he'd be running all over the playground with Eli right now."

Abe perked up when he heard his brother's name. "Can I go play with E?"

"Sorry, bubba. Not right now. You want some crackers?" Arizona asked trying to distract him from a potential meltdown.

"No," Abe shook his head and went back to sucking on the tiny straw.

"How long until he can be back up to full speed?" Callie asked. Callie knew how difficult it would be to keep a toddler calm and felt bad for the little boy who was busy swinging his feet against the bench as he drank his juice box.

"Hopefully he can start running in another month or so. I hope at least," Arizona sighed. "I don't know how many more tantrums I have in me."

Abe looked up at his mother as if he knew he was being talked about. "I'm hungry, Mama."

"You want those crackers now?" Abe shook his head no. "Of course not," Arizona sighed. Kids never made anything easy.

"What's for lunch?" Abe asked as he finished the last of his juice causing a slurping sound to come out of the box.

Arizona grabbed the box away from him to keep him from annoying those around them, "Why don't you go ask Daddy – he's in charge of lunch."

Abe stood up on the picnic bench seat and looked around trying to find his father. When he was unable to spot him he looked up to Arizona for help. "Kuti is my Bambo (_Where is Dad)_?"

Arizona turned Abe's face in the right direction so that he could see him clearly and pointed. "I'm going to watch you walk straight to him. Go straight to Daddy. No stopping and no running. Okay?" Arizona emphasized. Normally she would make sure that she had made eye contact with Alex to nonverbally communicate the exchange of children from one parent's care to the other but Alex was too wrapped up in his discussion with Meredith and April to notice so instead she laid down the law with Abe.

"Okay, Mama. I go to Daddy," Abe said as he wrapped his arms around her neck and planted a wet sticky kiss on her lips.

Arizona put Abe's feet on the ground and in the right direction of Alex. "Go on," she said as she patted his bottom. She didn't take her eyes off of the little boy until she watched him collide with his father's legs.

When she looked back at the table she had four eyes watching her curiously. "What?" Arizona asked to their raised eyebrows.

"I still can't get over the fact that you and Karev are married with kids," Cristina responded.

As if on cue, Eli picked that moment to run up to his mother and tugged on her arm.

"Didn't you just get rid of him?" Cristina asked as Arizona lifted the boy into her arms.

"Identical twins, Yang," Callie hissed.

Arizona glared at Cristina as Eli burrowed his head into her neck. She gently lifted the hat off of his head that was poking into her neck. "What's wrong, Eli Bear?"

"Sleepy, Mama," Eli said into her neck.

"You want to take a nap?" Eli nodded and moved so that he was hugging her with his arms and legs wrapped around her body as they sat at the picnic table. "And I guess you're going to take the nap on me?" Arizona said sarcastically more for herself than Eli. Eli didn't answer instead he snuggled himself in closer to his mother.

"Seriously, how can you tell them apart? They really are identical," Cristina asked.

"That is kind of the point of _identical _twins. With all of their different surgeries it's really easy to tell with their scars. But if you can't take their shirts off then the easy way is that Eli has a small birthmark at the top right of his hairline and Abe has a tiny mole by his left ear. Their personalities are also really different and usually an easy way to tell too. Abe is outgoing and loud while Eli tends to be more reserved and introverted," Arizona explained as she ran her hand up and down Eli's back lulling him to sleep.

Cristina stared at Arizona. She squinted her eyes as if she was studying her. "You know, I still don't get it."

"Don't get what?" Arizona asked.

"How you and Alex ended up together. Don't you miss girls? Boobs?"

"Cristina!" Callie exclaimed at her friend's brashness and nodded toward the sleeping boy in Arizona's arms.

Cristina shrugged off Callie's concern. "Oh he's asleep. Plus he seems to like boobs too the way he's cuddled up in there right now. So you don't miss girls?"

Arizona rolled her eyes at Cristina but knew that she wasn't going to let up until she answered her. "Just because I'm married to Alex doesn't meant that I'm blind. Did you stop looking at guys when you were married to Owen?"

"Of course not," Cristina smirked.

"Well, I can still appreciate a beautiful woman too. I'm just not going to act on it. I can look but not touch. Just like Alex still checks out hot girls too," Arizona explained in a soft voice so that her sleeping son wouldn't hear her.

"So you miss boobs?" Cristina again asked.

"It's different. Right, Callie?" Arizona turned to her former lover for help.

"Right," Callie nodded. "You don't really miss what that person doesn't have. It's hard to explain. Maybe you should try it and then you would know, Cristina."

Cristina fake laughed, "Yeah right. You just want to hit this. I think I'm going to go over there before you try to seduce me."

Arizona quirked her eyebrows as she watched Cristina walk off toward Meredith.

"I'm sorry," Callie started to apologize for her friend.

"Don't," Arizona cut her off. "No need to apologize for Cristina. It is nice to see that she hasn't changed a bit."

After Cristina left the picnic table an awkward silence took over the table between the former girlfriends.

"So…" Callie attempted to break the silence.

"So…" Arizona agreed.

"You know," Callie began. "I had no idea how this was going to go. Seeing you again after all this time. But none of it has been as expected."

Arizona tilted her head as she questioned her ex, "What did you expect, Calliope?"

"To be honest… yelling… anger."

Arizona glanced down at Eli who was still snoozing away. "If we would have run into each other in that first year after I left, you probably would have gotten a lot of yelling and anger. I was so angry. So bitter for that first year. You made me want things that I had never wanted in my life. You made me want kids. You made me want marriage and commitment. Then you just took it all away from me. I get that you were hurting and lashing out but that didn't make things any better for me. It might have helped you in your recovery but it didn't help me not to be heartbroken."

"What changed after that year?" Callie asked sincerely, trying to understand how she handled the breakup.

Arizona glanced at the man who was still talking to his friends with Abe sleeping against his shoulder. "Alex. And this was way before Alex and I were Alex and I. But he made me see how holding everything in had basically turned me into a time bomb waiting to explode. He actually made me start boxing. Though it was purely for selfish reasons on his part. He claimed that living with me was worse than living with Meredith when she was broken up with Derek. He just wanted me to stop being a bitch all the time."

"So you started pretending my face was on a heavy bag?" Callie smiled.

"I'm not going to lie – many days, yes. But some days it was my boss's face or the a-hole that was rude to me that day. It was pretty cathartic to get it all out on the bag," Arizona said doing her best to explain while not cursing with her son in her arms. "Then, life moved on. I moved on. I couldn't worry about what could have been when I had to worry about my present – keeping my kids alive. If you would not have pushed me away, I wouldn't have gone back to Africa and I wouldn't have my family that I honestly cannot imagine my life without." Arizona took another long look at the boy in her arms and smiled. "But if you want me to yell at you, I'm sure I could come up with something," Arizona laughed as she tried to lighten the mood.

"No. I'm good. I'm actually really glad there wasn't any yelling."

"Me too," Arizona agreed.

Another peaceful silence fell over the table that was only interrupted when Eli let out a soft snore against Arizona's chest and shifted against her to get more comfortable.

"Being a mom looks really good on you," Callie acknowledged the truth that she had realized from the first time she saw her holding Della in her arms that Arizona looked absolutely stunning with a child in her arms. "Aren't you missing one though?"

"Della," Arizona pointed to Teddy on the swings with Mark and she sighed when saw that Sofia had joined them as well. "Teddy is currently monopolizing her. If she has her way, I won't get her back until we're at the airport tomorrow and even then I'll have to pry her out of her arms."

"Well, she is pretty cute," Callie commented. "I can see why she'd want to keep her."

"Thanks but after nine months of pregnancy, I'm definitely not letting her go for at least twenty years," Arizona smirked. "Teddy's wanted a baby for awhile now. She actually started the adoption process on one of the kids from our clinic in Malawi two years ago but that fell through," Arizona confided.

"Wow. I had no idea."

"Yeah. Adoption laws in Malawi are really strict, sadly and we couldn't make it work. Too many babies end up in orphanages when they could go to good homes. The government there… needs some work. It was a small miracle we were able to adopt the boys."

"So Teddy and Mark, are they serious?" Callie asked knowing that Teddy's best friend probably knew the answer better than anyone else. She noticed that Arizona was biting her lip like she didn't know if she should say what she knew or not. "I mean, just so I know for Sofia. If I'm going to have competition."

"You'll never have competition. But yeah, I think Mark is actually really good for Teddy. I never thought I'd ever say that but he's really grown since I last saw him."

"And they're coming this way," Callie announced so that Arizona wouldn't keep talking about them as they walked toward them.

Mark and Teddy were all smiles as they made their way up to the picnic table. Sofia ran ahead of her father and right into her mother's arms. She immediately started talking a mile a minute about what she had been doing on the playground. She explained dramatically about how high in the air she had gotten on the swing thanks to her father pushing her. She was the spitting image of her mother in both looks and mannerisms.

When they finally caught up, Mark sat down on the other side of Callie and Teddy sat down next to her best friend. Arizona instinctively leaned over to kiss the top of her baby's head that rested tiredly against Teddy's shoulder.

"Your baby needs a diaper change," Teddy scrunched up her nose at the little girl who couldn't keep her eyes off of her mother.

Arizona laughed, "You can handle that. Her diaper bag is on the floor right by me."

"But she's your baby," Teddy replied hoping to get out of dealing with a dirty diaper.

Arizona used her feet to kick the baby bag toward Teddy, "Rule in our house is the one to figure out she needs to be changed is the one that does the changing. Plus, I wouldn't want to deprive you of any time with your precious goddaughter."

"Fine, fine," Teddy muttered as she reached down to grab the diaper bag. "I'll just take her to her daddy."

Arizona chuckled as she watched Teddy get up and start making her way toward Alex. She knew that Alex would turn her down too and force her to change the diaper. If Teddy wanted a baby then she got to deal with the entire baby including the stinky parts.

Mark who had more than enough diaper changing experience hopped up to follow his girlfriend, "I'll just go help her or else she'll probably go through four diapers and still not have it on right." Both Callie and Arizona knew that Teddy was more than capable of changing a diaper; Mark just wanted to give Callie, Arizona and Sofia some privacy.

With the others joining them and then leaving again and Sofia rattling on about the playground a sleepy Eli woke up with a large yawn. He unwrapped his arms from around his mother's body and balled his hands up as he stretched and wiped the sleep out of his eyes.

"How was your nap, Eli?" Arizona asked when his big brown eyes met hers.

"Good, Mama," he replied, sleep still evident in his voice.

Eli settled his head back against Arizona's chest. While he was awake he clearly did not want to move off of Arizona anytime soon. Even though he was a tiny furnace against her body she wasn't going to refuse cuddles. She knew it was only a matter of time before her little boys realized that it wasn't cool to cuddle with their mother. Arizona rested her chin on top of Eli's head and realized that she had another pair of little brown eyes staring at her. Sofia was standing in front of Callie but her gaze was on Arizona. Her head was tilted and she had her finger on her chin as if she was trying to place where she knew Arizona from. She knew that she knew the blonde woman on the bench but she didn't know how.

"Hi," Arizona said at almost a whisper to the little girl watching her.

Sofia's eyes darted to her mother's as she looked for reassurance about the stranger but familiar woman who was talking to her.

Callie smiled at Sofia and pushed her to say hello. "Sof – this is Dr. Arizona."

"Arizona?" Sofia questioned her mother. Sofia knew the name Arizona. She knew that the woman who saved her when she was born was named Arizona.

"Yes, Arizona, baby," Callie reassured her.

Sofia smiled brightly and looked at Arizona. Seeing as how Arizona's arms were full of another child, Sofia settled for hugging her leg.

"Oh, okay," Arizona smiled down at the little girl.

"Thank you," Sofia mumbled into Arizona's leg.

Arizona looked at Callie confused about what was happening. One minute Sofia didn't know if she should even talk to Arizona and now she was hugging her leg.

"I told you she knew who you were," Callie told Arizona.

"You made my heart go when I was a baby," Sofia released Arizona's leg and pounded on her chest as if Arizona had forgotten who she was.

"I remember," Arizona said simply.

"Where did you go?" Sofia questioned.

"Sofia, remember what I said. Dr. Arizona had to go help other babies like she helped you," Callie quickly stepped in, hoping to spare Arizona from any more pain.

"You had to go help?" Sofia asked again.

Arizona nodded her head, "I did. I had to go save other babies."

Sofia was in a questioning stage. She wouldn't be happy until every question she had was answered. "Now you're back?"

"No, just visiting. I've got to go home tomorrow," Arizona smiled at the little boy who had turned himself around in his mother's lap so that he was now looking curiously at the girl in front of him.

"Oh," Sofia said sadly. "Who is he?" she asked about the boy in Arizona's lap.

"This is my son, Eli. Your Mama fixed his arm last month," Arizona explained hoping that she would turn the questions off of her and onto Callie.

"But he doesn't look like you," Sofia stated like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Callie's mouth hung open and she whispered an "I'm sorry," to Arizona. Arizona shook her off knowing full well the brutal honesty children offered to the world.

Sofia continued, "But I don't look like my daddy either. Do you look like your daddy?"

"No," Eli shook his head. "I look like my brother."

"Okay," Sofia smiled. "Want to play?"

Eli looked to his mother for approval and when she smiled and gently pushed him off of her he got his answer.

Arizona thought she was in the Twilight Zone as she sat on a park bench in Seattle watching her son play with Callie's daughter. She was apprehensive as she watched Eli follow Sofia up onto the jungle gym but as she watched them play and laugh together she began to feel oddly calm about it.

"This is surreal, right?" Callie looked at the kids playing and then back to Arizona.

That comment made Arizona start giggling loudly, "Very."

**…**

When they got to the picnic Alex left Arizona for just a moment to go find drinks when he ran into Meredith and April. What was meant to be a three minute search for sodas turned into more than an hour of gossip. Every few minutes he looked back to where Arizona was – making sure that she was okay. He knew that she was nervous to be left on her own at an event where Sofia would be. But he also knew that this would be good for her so while he could have made an excuse to go back to his wife, instead he chose to let things happen and stayed and caught up with his old friends. He was concerned when he looked up at one point and saw that Arizona and Abe were now sitting with Callie and Cristina. He debated going and rescuing her but again knew that she needed to do this on her own. So instead he listened intently to Meredith as she told a story about a drawing her daughter did at the hospital daycare involving a stripper pole.

As they reminisced about the days spent living at the Grey house, somehow Alex got put in charge of grilling. Besides Mark, he was the only male at the party that the ladies trusted to be in charge of the meat. Alex was busy flipping hamburgers and hotdogs when Teddy and Mark came walking up to him with Della in their arms.

"Let a real man take care of the grill," Mark said as he tried to grab the tongs from Alex's hands.

Alex pulled his arm away and shook his head. "I got this, dude."

"I just thought you might want to pay more attention to your wife," Mark said as he again tried to take the tongs.

Hearing Mark mention his wife caused Alex to lose focus and loosen his grip on the tongs allowing Mark to snatch them right out of his hands. Alex's eyes immediately found his wife and his body tensed at what he saw. Arizona was talking to Sofia. Alex was silently hoping that this was going to go okay; that this wouldn't lead to a breakdown for Arizona but would instead give her the closure that she needed.

Alex stood back from the grill and watched the scene unfold. He couldn't hear the words being said but he watched as Sofia latched onto Arizona's legs. He watched as Eli ran off after miniature Callie. He couldn't miss hearing Arizona's laughter reach his ears all the way across the park. He smiled to himself as he loaded up a plate full of food to carry over to his wife. He knew that Arizona had gotten the closure that she needed.

"Lunch," Alex said as he placed the plate onto Arizona's lap as Teddy, Mark, Meredith, Cristina and April all joined the table with food for the group.

Arizona looked up and smiled, "Thank you." She noticed that he was alone and she distinctly remembered that she had sent one of her sons over to him a little over a half hour prior. "Aren't you missing some things?"

Alex pointed to Cristina who had Abe on her lap and Teddy who still had Della in her arms. "Abe is currently charming the pants off of Cristina. And Teddy still refuses to let Della go," Alex said as he took a chip off of Arizona's plate.

"Abe is with Cristina?" Arizona asked suspiciously.

"Yep," Alex nodded. "She is very impressed with his knowledge of the heart and its' systems. I think she wants to make him her protégée."

Arizona smirked, "I wish her luck with that. He tells me everyday that he doesn't want to be a doctor like us. That it's gross."

"That's because you've gotten it into his head that he can be the next soccer star," Alex rolled his eyes.

"He can be anything he wants to be," Arizona smiled into her drink. She was just grateful they were even able to talk about what Abe wanted to be when he grew up. She knew the likelihood of him being the next David Beckham was slim but he's just a child and that is the time for dreams; he'd grow up soon enough and have to live in reality.

"So what do you guys have going on back in Boston?" Meredith asked the couple across the bench from her.

"Back to work on Wednesday," Alex groaned.

Arizona grimaced, "I can't even imagine what I have waiting on my desk for me."

"But it's only three days and then on Saturday we have the boys' birthday party," Alex reminded his wife.

Arizona poked him in the side, "Because that is fun. A house full of twenty pre-schoolers hyped up on sugar."

Cristina laughed, "Sounds like a headache to me."

"I wish I could be there," Teddy frowned. "I've already had their gifts sent to your house."

"Please tell me it's not another very realistic fire truck," Arizona groaned.

"They love that truck!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Yes they do but you don't have to listen to the sirens going off constantly. Remember, payback is a bitch, Teds. I will so be picking the loudest and most obnoxious toys for your kids."

"Wait – Teddy is having a kid?" April butted into the conversation.

Teddy glared at Arizona for putting that out there. Having kids wasn't something she had even brought up with Mark yet. "Someday. Hopefully."

Mark grabbed Teddy's hand under the table and gave her a small smile that told her that he would be okay with having another kid.

"Well, I think babies are great," April mused. "They are, right? Because I can't wait to have one," she turned to ask the parents of the group.

"They are," Arizona nodded. "And I used to never want one so coming from me that is saying something."

"And now you have three," April smiled.

"Even with everything we have been through with Abe and Eli, they along with their sister, are worth every minute of pain that we've gone through." Alex smiled at Arizona. "I mean if they weren't we wouldn't want more, right?"

Arizona kicked Alex under the table. They had just somewhat decided on having more a few nights ago. It was certainly not something she wanted to talk about with their friends but men did not understand the need for keeping some things to themselves. Arizona thought Alex's slip of the tongue must have been payback for her own slip of the tongue about Teddy wanting kids.

"Back it up babysitters," Cristina put a hand up to halt the conversation. "You have three brats and you want more?"

Alex knew to keep his mouth shut after getting a kick to the shin so he let Arizona take Cristina's question. "We're open to the idea. But right now we're focusing on the three we have."

Cristina let the topic of babies drop and the group then moved onto more interesting topics such as Cristina's love life with her intern. As they finished their lunch the group dispersed leaving Alex and Arizona on the bench next to Callie, Teddy and Mark as they watched their kids play together. The five adults were able to laugh and enjoy conversation as they watched Sofia chase Eli around the playground. Mark made jokes to Alex about keeping his son away from his daughter and Alex fought back saying that it would be Sloan's kid that needed to stay away from his son as she was a product of the manwhore. After the kids had run out all of their energy, it was time for the Karev family to say goodbye. They had promised the kids a trip to the zoo and they needed to make good on that before it was nap time. Hugs and hand shakes were passed generously between everyone with promises to visit soon.

Arizona reached out and held Alex's hand tightly as they made their way back to their car and loaded up to go to the zoo. They were going to enjoy their last day in Seattle as a family.

**…**

Alex reached across his lap to buckle his seatbelt after taking one of the twins to the bathroom for the fifth time over the course of their nonstop flight to Boston. "Can we not travel for a long time? I am traveled out. Three kids and airplanes and car seats and 'I'm hungry' and 'I need to go to the bathroom' and 'I'm bored.' I am really exhausted from all of the travel."

Arizona laughed as she took her eyes off of the airplane window and looked at her husband who had a most serious expression on his face. "And you want to have another?"

"Well it is pretty great. Exhausting but great," Alex smiled.

"I'm pretty sure you won't be allowed any more time off for the next year so you don't have to worry about traveling anyway."

Alex ran his hand over the top of Arizona's thigh, "I thought that was one perk of being married to the boss? Getting all the time off I need."

"So that's why you married me?" Arizona joked.

"That is one of the many reasons."

"I thought it was for all the sex in my office," Arizona flirted.

Alex squeezed Arizona's hand, "That is a benefit too."

"I can't wait to be home in our own bed," Arizona sighed as she leaned her head against Alex's shoulder.

"Doing dirty things in bed, right?" Alex whispered into her hair as he kissed her temple.

"Very dirty things, Mr. Karev," Arizona turned into Alex's body and leaned in to capture his earlobe with her mouth. "I can't wait to get you alone so that I can get you naked. Then I'm going to trail my mouth down your entire body before using it to…" She trailed off her speech as she bit down softly on his ear.

"Then… then you're going to do what," Alex croaked out wanting to know exactly what his wife had planned for their first night alone in their own home and their own bed in three months.

Arizona settled back in her seat with a smug grin on her face. She reached her hand out and settled it on his lap where she felt what her teasing had done to Alex. "That is for me to know and for you to find out later… if you're lucky."

Alex picked up Arizona's hand and placed it back in her own lap. "You, Arizona Karev, are a tease. Remember that when I have my mouth all over your sexy body later tonight."

Arizona and Alex settled into a comfortable silence as they enjoyed the rest of the flight. All three of their kids were passed out in their seats allowing their parents some well needed rest. Alex and Arizona couldn't keep their eyes off of the window when the city of Boston came into view. It was hard to miss the unmistakable cityscape of Boston as they made their descent.

"Welcome home," Alex whispered into Arizona's ear as the plane touched down.

**…**

Alex turned off the lights to the boys' room and quietly shut the door behind him. He made his way to his bedroom but when he saw that it was still empty he turned around and went back down the hall toward the nursery. Alex peeked in through the cracked door and watched as Arizona stood looking out the window as she sang softly to Della. The room was only illuminated by a small lamp on the dresser. Alex thought the light in the room literally made his wife glow. He didn't want to intrude on Arizona's private moment with their daughter but he couldn't help himself. He pushed the door open further and grimaced when it creaked. Arizona didn't seem to notice his entrance. She jumped softly when he wrapped his arms around her and rested his hands against their daughter's back.

"I think she's still on Seattle time," Arizona whispered to Alex as their daughter blinked up at them.

"My poor baby," Alex said sympathetically as he rested his head on Arizona's shoulder.

Arizona trailed her finger down Della's nose, a perfect miniature replica of Alex's, "I think she needs the secret weapon."

"Arizona," Alex groaned. He should have never started singing to Della. But it was one of the only ways that Della calmed down when she was kicking up a storm in Arizona's uterus. They discovered that their daughter loved listening to her Daddy sing as he sang along to the radio one day while they were driving to work and Della was being particularly active. Ever since, his voice has always soothed his baby girl.

"She loves her Daddy's singing," Arizona said as she tilted her head to make eye contact with Alex. "So does her Mama."

Alex sighed and took a deep breath as he moved his hands to Arizona's waist and began to sway them together. "She's got eyes of the bluest skies as if they thought of rain. I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain…." By the time Alex got to the end of the song Della's blue eyes were closed and she was peacefully asleep in her mother's arms. "She didn't even make it to the grand finale," Alex frowned.

"I'd like to hear it," Arizona smiled as she placed Della down in her crib.

Alex brought his voice to a whisper as he leaned into the crib and hovered over his daughter. "Sweet child o' mine… sweet love of mine. Sweet dreams, baby girl. I love you." He left a lingering kiss on her forehead and straightened up his body.

As he stood Arizona immediately grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him into her body. "You singing Guns N' Roses to our baby. So hot," she mumbled against his lips before crashing them together.

"Bedroom," Alex breathed out as he broke from the kiss to take a breath. He grabbed the monitor by the crib and let Arizona guide him out of the nursery. As soon as the door was closed, Arizona immediately began kissing him again. She slipped her tongue in his mouth and smiled as she felt him sigh into the kiss. She refused to let him break the kiss to go to turn around and walk into the bedroom. He was a surgeon – he should easily be able to multi-task making out with walking backward into their bedroom. When Arizona backed him into the closed bedroom door he let out a yelp before reaching behind him to twist the handle to open the door. While Alex was always turned on by a dominant Arizona, he wanted to be in control that night. He wanted to show Arizona just how much she meant to him. How grateful he was to have her in his life. As Arizona was unbuttoning her jeans Alex caught her off guard and lifted her onto the bed before replacing her hands with his on her jeans. Once he successfully had her jeans off of her, he began to slowly kiss his way up to her lips. "I believe I promised that I would have my mouth all over you today," he whispered as he reached her lips.

"That you did, Mr. Karev," Arizona sighed as she tried to focus on what Alex was doing to her. But between his hands all over her body and his lips on her neck, it was very difficult to focus on anything.

When Della's cries broke through the baby monitor several hours later, Arizona and Alex were still wrapped up in each other.

"I'll go get her," Arizona whispered against Alex's chest. "She wants to eat."

Alex gently pushed Arizona back against the mattress and fumbled in the dark for his boxers, "I'll get her and bring her here. You stay."

"There she is. There's Mama," Alex whispered into Della's ear as he walked back into the bedroom. Della greedily tried reaching out for Arizona and started whimpering. She was hungry and she knew who had the milk. "Those just went from sexy to a meal in less than a minute," Alex laughed as he watched his daughter latch on to a nipple that he had been playing with just a short time earlier.

"The life of a parent," Arizona laughed.

As Alex was getting comfortable next to his wife they heard a loud clap of thunder shake the house. He braced himself for what was coming and passed Arizona her pajama bottoms. Their bed was about to get smaller. Alex smiled as their bedroom door open and watched as two shadowy figures made their way to the bed. He always enjoyed being right.

"Mama," Eli whimpered.

"Daddy," Abe joined his brother in whining.

Alex sighed and leaned down to pick them up and deposit them onto the middle of the bed. "What's wrong boys?"

"Scared," Eli cried as he burrowed into his mother's side.

"Oh no!" Arizona gasped. "That mean thunder won't get you. Not when Daddy's here to protect us."

"Mama, we sleep here," Abe said. It wasn't a question. He was not going back to his bedroom where the thunder could get him. He was safe in his parents' bed. He knew they would never let anything happen to him.

Alex grabbed Abe and got him settled under the comforter and against his pillow. "You sleep here, buddy."

Alex reached his hand out over his sleeping boys and toward his wife who had a just finished eating Della snoozing against her chest. Arizona moved her arm to link fingers with Alex's. She squeezed lightly before quietly getting out of bed and moving to place Della in the bassinette that they kept in their room. If they were going to have a family sleepover it didn't feel right if Della was off in her room by herself. Arizona got back into bed and leaned over her sleeping boys to give her husband a goodnight kiss.

"I love you," Alex told his wife.

Arizona smiled, "I love you too."

Even with their bed full of their toddlers and rogue legs and arms hitting them in their sleep, Alex and Arizona couldn't have imagined a better first night home. It felt good to be home. Home was no longer a bedroom in her parents' house or his dorm room at college. It was no longer a bedroom in his friend's house or in her apartment in Seattle. It wasn't a tiny house in Africa where they were always tripping over toys. Home was now a rather large house in the suburbs of Boston. It was surrounded by the laughter and cries of their children. They were returning home with all of their children happy and healthy. Throughout everything over the last four years they always had each other. Home was in each other's arms.

**…**

**A/N: A bit of an anti-climactic ending but it fits - everyone has closure and is happy. I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has read this. I never expected to get so many readers and reviews with a Alex/Arizona pairing. A lot of people have asked me to write more A/A stories and I would love to if I can come up with an original idea. Part of the pairing, I feel like there needs to be a realistic way to bring them together and past Africa I'm not sure that I can come up with one. Let me know if you have any ideas that you'd like to see. I also might consider some one-shots based off of this story - both flashbacks and future shots. Again, thanks so much for sticking with me and I hope you enjoyed the story!**


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